When Everything Goes Wrong
by Hybryd0
Summary: Complete::Just when it seems like Lothor is losing his edge an old general of his returns bringing trouble with him. Now the rangers face their greatest threat yet and for once it doesn't look like they'll win.
1. We’re Psycho Rangers

The temple was cold and dark. Plant overgrowth would have lead most people to believe it was abandoned, but Kalix knew otherwise. He had done his research well on the temple and was prepared for anything. His search would not be in vain, he promised himself. He would get what he came for and return to Lothor victorious again. He would make Zurgane pay for betraying him and he would once more be the evil space ninja's favored general.

The reptile man stalked quietly through the dank hall that led to the main chamber of the temple. He knew that was where he would find the whole reason for his expedition. He had no sooner entered the chamber than he had to duck an attack from a threat he had been waiting for the whole time. With an unconcerned sneer he unlatched his battle axe from his back and looked at his foe. It was a power ranger; one Kalix had only ever seen pictures of in archives. The rangers suit was pure black except for strange gold symbols on the chest and around the sides of the helmets that probably meant something in his planet's native language. There was a black gem set in the forehead with silver outlining it and on his chest were six gems; red, blue, green, white, purple, and yellow. Kalix knew from reports that the ranger, called the Knight Ranger, was armed with a full ranger team's worth of powers. The reason being that the Knight Ranger embodied the powers of his fallen teammates. He was a powerful foe and no one had figured out how to kill him yet, but Kalix didn't want to kill him, just incapacitate him.

"Leave now and I'll spare your life." The Knight Ranger boomed.

Kalix kept a schooled mask of indifference on his reptilian face, but he felt the power behind the words. Given enough time the Knight Ranger would beat him, but Kalix hoped to make his attack quick and spring the trap even quicker. He readied his battle axe and leapt forward. The Knight Ranger pulled a sickle and in one fluid motion snagged Kalix's weapon and jerked it out of the reptile's hand. Kalix gawked at the ranger, not having expected to lose his weapon at all let alone within the first few seconds of battle. He was unprepared as the ranger landed a fierce kick to his chest that sent him crashing into a wall.

"How…?"

If he could have seen the ranger's face Kalix could have sworn the human would have been smirking as he replied. "You really didn't expect to waltz into my home and have your way with me did you? Honestly, you lackeys are getting dumber and dumber."

"We'll see ranger." Kalix hissed.

He scrambled to his feet and pulled a few round objects from a pouch at his waist. With a flick of his wrist he threw them at the ground in front of the ranger and smirked as they exploded with a flash, filling the area with smoke. Like a click in his mind his eyes immediately began reading heat signatures and he was able to see the ranger. He was a little surprised to find the Knight Ranger hadn't moved an inch from his position. Regardless, Kalix charged in, ready to do the deed with his claws, and was stunned that the next thing he knew he was laying half on his neck and half on his shoulders, upside down against a wall. How had the ranger moved so quickly and without clear sight?

"The Gems of Power are not for your taking snake. This is your last warning to leave." The Knight Ranger said with such authority that Kalix felt himself starting to get a little nervous. Still, he knew that if he could get close enough to the ranger he could implement his plan.

Kalix righted himself and stood up, instantly deciding to change tactics. Without even acknowledging that the ranger had called him a snake, the reptile turned on his own taunting. He used what he had read about the Knight Rangers and stabbed at what he hoped were sensitive places.

"You're awfully powerful for a ranger, but why are you the only one of your team left?" Kalix didn't give him a chance to reply. "My guess is that you were the weakest of the team and that you hid when the Shadow Rogue came. You watched your teammates die and then drew their power to you so that you would be more powerful and could have the guts to stand up to Shadow Rogue."

Kalix grinned to himself as he watched the ranger's cool composure begin to break down. The ranger's hands clenched to fists and Kalix could detect the slightest twitch beginning to develop. He pressed on insulting the dead teammates and destroyed planet and anything else he could think of to rile the ranger up. He hardly saw the Knight Ranger move, but his instincts led him to dodge and he saw the sickle dig deeply into the wall where his head had been. On reflex he reptile kicked the ranger in the chest and grabbed the wrist holding the sickle. He gasped as the ranger's free fist slammed into his gut right before he was flipped to the ground.

The Knight Ranger was nearly growling with fury and his mind was clearly clouded. Kalix rolled away from his enemy and sprang to his feet only to hiss as a crossbow bolt shot clean through his shoulder. He saw the ranger preparing another shot and ducked and rolled to the side. As he stood again he found himself being pummeled by a furious ranger and couldn't do anything to defend himself. When he fell the ranger pinned him to the ground and continued beating him, but Kalix had the presence of mind to finish his plan. Using his tail the evil reptile pulled a small circular device from his boot and slammed it onto the ranger's back.

The Knight Ranger stiffened and bellowed with agony as white-hot electricity surged through his suit and body. If there was one thing ranger suits were bad at blocking it was electricity, a fact Kalix had learned quickly. It almost seemed like the material ranger suits were made of just conducted pure, raw electricity without hindering any of the charge. Kalix was relieved when the Knight Ranger slumped over, knocked unconscious by the extremely powerful blast. With little trouble the reptile shoved the limp ranger off of him and pulled himself to his feet with a little more effort than he cared to admit. He looked down at the defenseless ranger and briefly thought of killing him, but decided it went against what little honor he had to kill something that wasn't able to fight back.

"Thank your stars ranger that I have more honor than most of the beings that have come here." Kalix said.

The reptile then turned his attention on his prizes. On a pedestal in the center of the chamber were five glowing gems. Kalix knew from his research that the Gems of Power were supposedly linked directly to the source of all ranger powers, but unlike the devices rangers used to call on the power the Gems of Power had no limit to how much power they drew. Used properly they could do immense good or terrible evil. But the Gems had proven to be unusable by any power rangers and most normal beings couldn't even touch them. Kalix didn't even try to touch them. He used his telekinetic power to lift them up and drop them in the pouch he had brought with them, but even through the thick fabric he could feel power of the Gems burn at him. He glanced down at the prone Knight Ranger and smirked.

"It was a nice try ranger, but one day all of you will realize that good doesn't always win."

With that Kalix left the temple and went back to his shuttle. He had what he wanted and all he needed was the transfer of power. Then he would be able to go back to Lothor with a force strong enough to impress the evil space ninja…just long enough to overthrow him.

ZzZzZ

Lothor watched with growing annoyance as the rangers took turns beating up his latest monster, teasing and taunting it like it was nothing. He was starting to get tired of failure and of the rangers in general. Why couldn't they just be defeated? Nothing seemed to be able to beat them as of late and on that note he decided to not even supersize his latest failure. He looked around himself and wondered where he had gone so terribly wrong. Things had started out right. He had captured all the ninja academies except for three ninjas that had just happened to known for tardiness. If he had known how much trouble they would cause he would have gone down himself and finished them before they had an inkling of ranger power.

"My lord, there is a ship approaching our vector." Zurgane announced. "It is Kalix's ship sir. I am arming our weapons."

"Not yet." Lothor said. Something inside him felt strangely reassured to hear Kalix's name. Though the reptile had never been good at hiding his obvious desire for Lothor's position he was a capable general and Lothor sorely missed his presence in the army. "Let's see what he has to say."

In a matter of seconds Lothor was looking at his ex-general's scaly face. Kalix bowed his head with respect even though he no long served the space ninja. Lothor eyed Kalix's reptilian face warily for a minute before the reptile began speaking.

"My lord Lothor I come with the request of re-joining your army." Kalix said.

Lothor rolled his eyes. "I guessed that already. Why should I let you anywhere near my army? Tell me one good reason why I shouldn't just destroy you and your ship."

"Well, I heard you were having problems with rangers so I've brought you a solution." Kalix said. "Interested?"

Lothor eyed the reptile cautiously. Kalix was devious and traitorous, but he would not take the risk of approaching Lothor if he didn't have something viable. Nothing else was working for Lothor and he surmised that it wouldn't really hurt to give Kalix another chance.

"Alright Kalix, let's see what you've got." Lothor said.

Kalix showed his teeth in a reptilian smile and stepped aside. Lothor immediately felt extreme jubilance surge through him at what stood behind the ex-general. He knew the rangers wouldn't stand a chance.

ZzZzZ

"And Lothor sends another dud." Dustin laughed as he and the rest of the rangers made it back to Ninja Ops. "When is the dude gonna learn his lesson?"

"He's an evil space ninja, my guess is they don't learn lessons." Tori replied, used to Dustin's often inane comments.

"Oh." Dustin said as if actually disappointed. No one paid him any mind as they were all used to his behavior by then.

"I'd say nice work, but you hardly had to do anything out there." Cam said, not looking up from the computer.

"Yeah, is it just me or is Lothor totally slacking?" Tori commented.

"Now is not the time to get cocky Tori." A deeply soothing voice spoke. The rangers looked over as a guinea pig flipped onto the table beside them. The Wind Ninja's Sensei watched them all with calm black eyes that showed the true intelligence of the being trapped in the form. "I fear Lothor still has much to throw at you. You must not let your guards down."

"We won't Sensei." Shane promised.

Soon after the rangers began to split up and do their own thing. Dustin, Hunter, and Blake headed to Storm Chargers to work while Shane went to the skate park. Tori went home to spend some time with her parents. All seemed calm. None of them knew the hardship they were about to face.

ZzZzZ

The peaceful buzz of downtown Blue Bay erupted with confused terror. People shrieked and scrambled out of their cars as powerful explosions destroyed them. Building crumbled as their lower levels were weakened. Innocent people found themselves stuck half in the ground while others were left hanging from street lights and yet others were drowning in poles of water that shouldn't have been deep enough for anything of the sort. The town was in total chaos and the question everybody had was not where are the power rangers, but rather, why are the power rangers doing this?

Indeed, to the stunned citizen's total horror it wasn't a monster or even an army of monsters that were terrorizing them. It was five powerful humans that were supposed to be protecting him. It was the five beings they had put their trust in to keep them safe. The Wind and Thunder Ninja Rangers were terrorizing the town worse than any monster ever had.

ZzZzZ

Cam could hardly believe what he was seeing. The fully morphed Wind and Thunder Rangers were running amok in Blue Bay and doing worse things than monsters did. He had to put a stop to it.

ZzZzZ

Dustin wasn't even surprised as the bracelet on his wrist chimed. He looked up at Blake and Hunter who both put down the boxes they were carrying. The three of them made sure Kelly was still out getting lunch before they answered. They were instantly taken back by what came through.

"Guys, what the hell are you doing?" Cam demanded.

The three boys shared a confused look. "Uh, working."

"Very funny Dustin." Cam snapped. There was a pause and then Cam continued. "Alright, morph and get downtown and quick. I'll have Shane and Tori meet you."

The three boys shared another confused look before they once more made sure no one was around. Sure that their identities would be safe the three rangers morphed and ninja streaked to the downtown area of town. Just as they arrived Shane and Tori did as well, morphed and ready for whatever the problem was. None of them were prepared for what they saw. It was like watching themselves in a mirror only their mirror selves were destroying everything and harassing innocent civilians. For a long moment the rangers stared in utter confusion, before Shane realized they should be stopping the doppelgangers.

"Hey!" Shane shouted, but was unable to say much more. He wanted to make a smartass comment or just say something reprimanding their clones, but he was too furious to think straight.

The five exact copies turned to face the originals, standing so that their positions matched exactly. Both sides stared each other down for a long moment before the doppelgangers began to laugh. The sound was strangely mechanical and almost seemed to echo. For a long time that's all they did was laugh as if the sight of the original rangers was the funniest thing they had ever seen. Finally the laughter died down until only one was still laughing, the yellow one, until the crimson one smacked it and then that one stopped laughing too. There was a pause before the red duplicate began to speak, the voice just as strange sounding as the laughter had been.

"So, you're the power rangers, huh? You don't look like much to me."

"Yeah, they promised us a challenge." The crimson look alike sneered.

"You haven't even fought us yet." Hunter retorted.

Crimson laughed again, the sound becoming chilling and deadly. "Then let's change that."

In a flash Hunter was separated from the group and on the ground clutching his stomach. His look alike stood over him with a foot on his chest. Hunter growled, grabbed the foot and rolled, throwing his duplicate to the ground. In an instant both were up and exchanging attacks so rapidly the normal human eye would never have been able to follow. It wasn't long before the copy gained the upper hand and Hunter was sent reeling with his suit sparking.

Blake ran to his brother's side and reached down to pull the older boy to his feet when he was suddenly attacked from behind. The Navy Thunder Ranger was sent tumbling, but used the momentum to roll to his feet and face his attacker. His duplicate stood before him silently, but the body posture screamed that he was being mocked. Blake charged his foe but quickly found himself at the receiving end of a brutal beating.

By then all the rangers were fighting with their doppelgangers and they seemed to be losing. The copies were pounding the originals into the ground. Suddenly the red one whistled and the team of apparently evil rangers broke off. They once more formed a line in front of the rangers, who slowly began to pull themselves up. Hunter supported Blake, though it really seemed as if he was just leaning his weight against Blake and the two were supporting each other.

"See, hardly a challenge." Crimson said tauntingly.

"Who are you guys? You're no rangers." Shane snarled weakly.

"You're right, we're not." Red said.

Lightning crackled around the five duplicates and the rangers had to cover their eyes. When the smoke cleared from around them the five copies didn't look like the rangers anymore. Their suits were mostly black with silver outlining the visors on the helmets, the gauntlets, and the lightning symbols on all their chests. The inside of the lightning varied in color matching with the ranger they had previously impersonated. The suits had their respective colors decorating the chests and helmets where the color seemed to sweep toward the back of the head and create a spine like appearance. Their helmets had white faceplates that almost gave the impression that they were smirking, which behind the masks they were. All and all they looked extremely intimidating and utterly evil.

"We're Psycho Rangers." Crimson announced.

"And we're here to destroy you." Navy continued.

Yellow looked over at him. "Nice way to state the obvious moron."

"Hey, don't call me a moron!" Navy yelled. He started to make a move toward the Yellow Psycho, but Crimson grabbed his shoulder and held him still.

"Will you two focus?" Red snapped. "You can destroy each other once we deal with these losers."

"We're the losers? You're nothing more than copies!" Hunter taunted in reply.

The Crimson Psycho started to make a move, but Red stopped him. "We do this together. Psychos show them what these copies can do!"

The two sides streaked at each other at the same time and they clashed with brutal power. The teams paired off, each ranger fighting their psycho counterpart, and moved at speeds the human eye couldn't even follow. Suddenly Tori found herself nearly wrapped around a streetlight, the metal bent from the impact. The Psycho Blue picked her up off the ground and threw her through the wall of a nearby building. Tori managed to get to her feet, but one arm was wrapped around her ribs in pain.

"Pathetic." Psycho Blue sneered, her voice the same metallic, mechanical echo as the others.

At the same time Blake was kicked out of the air so hard his body made a crater in the street. Psycho Navy dropped down on top of him, pinning the ranger down. Blake, though in pain, had the strength to throw himself to the side and switch their positions. Unfortunately for him Navy had a chance to pull his feet up and plant them in Blake's chest, flinging him backwards into a car. The metal shrieked as Blake hit it with enough for to not only leave a dent and break the glass, but to move the car several feet from where it had been.

"Blake!" Hunter called, distracted by the sight of his baby brother nearly unconscious on the ground.

"Better worry about yourself kid." Crimson snarled.

Hunter didn't even have time to react before Psycho Crimson showed how a shield could be used as an effective offensive weapon. Crimson bashed Hunter repeatedly in the head making the ranger stumble back until the psycho maneuvered just right to smash the back of Hunter's head. The Crimson Thunder Ranger went down hard and didn't get back up.

A few yards away Dustin dove into the ground in a desperate attempt to buy himself some time, but Psycho Yellow followed easily. The psycho ranger grabbed Dustin by the throat as the two ejected themselves from underground. With a laugh that sent chills up and down Dustin's spine just before energy crackled over the psycho's gauntlets and into the yellow ranger's suit. Dustin cried out as his suit sparked and crackled as if a thousand watts of electricity was surging through him. He couldn't think clearly enough to fight back or try to get away, he could only hang limply in his new nemesis's grasp.

"I'll see you bowing before me wishing for your death before this is all over with." Psycho Yellow sneered, his voice clearly expressing the insanity hidden behind the helmet. "Scream for me ranger." And with an increase of power Dustin couldn't help but do just that.

And the most surprising thing was that Psycho Red was hardly doing a thing to Shane. He slashed him across the chest with his Psycho Saber and then quickly maneuvered behind him. The psycho ranger locked his arm around Shane's neck and wrapped the other around his chest pretty much putting the red ranger in a helpless position. Shane struggled, but the psycho cut off his air supply with a simple flex of muscle.

"Calm down." Psycho Red intoned in a falsely gentle voice. "I just want you to watch. Watch as you fail your team."

"No." Shane growled, then choked as his airway was squeezed shut again.

"Oh yes." Red sneered. "Look at them. The Crimson Ranger is out cold. The Blue Ranger is out of sight, probably getting her ass handed to her. Your Yellow Ranger is having a shocking experience. And the Navy Ranger can't even get to his feet." Psycho Red laughed mockingly, the sound eerily chilling. "You're failing them just when they need you. What kind of leader are you?"

Suddenly a torrent of water smashed into Psycho Red and sent him flying. Shane fell to the ground as Tori ran up to him and helped him to his feet. She was limping and one arm was wrapped around her chest, but otherwise she seemed fine. Shane wanted to ask her how she had managed to get away from Psycho Blue, when the evil being in question streaked out of nowhere and slammed Tori away from Shane. The Red Ranger started to go to her aid, but a kick to his midsection sent him flying into a wall and then straight through it.

"Psychos, it's connection time." Psycho Red announced through their communication link.

The psycho rangers then did something that no monster before them could. With one hand on a ranger's head they began to basically copy their enemy's mind. Instantly they were learning fighting styles, tactics, tricks, and other various things they would need to know in order to soundly defeat the rangers. But the psychos didn't want to just defeat the rangers, they wanted to make them suffer. They wanted the rangers to be defeated in spirit before they were beaten physically.

"Now I know everything about you red ranger." Psycho Red taunted. "You can't beat me."

"We'll see about that." Shane snarled definatly, albeit very weakly.

Dustin had long since stopped struggling against Psycho Yellow. He barely had enough strength to keep his eyes open, let alone fight back. Psycho Yellow was still laughing like some crazed mad scientist. Dustin briefly wished the Crimson Psycho Ranger would come over and smack Psycho Yellow just to shut him up, but the thought was lost very quickly to the pain he was feeling. Other than keeping his eyes open not another muscle in his body would respond to his wish to move. It didn't help that Psycho Yellow was ramming him into the wall repeatedly and he was losing all sense of reality.

Then just as suddenly as it had all started the Psycho Rangers were gone leaving one very beaten ranger team behind. Shane was the only one who could stand without limping and to him that was worse, because he had watched his teammates get knocked around and he wasn't able to help them. It tore him up inside and though he tried to stop it doubts about his leadership abilities began to filter into his mind. He pushed the thoughts out of his mind and got to his feet albeit a little unsteadily. He slowly stumbled his way over to the closest to him, who happened to be Tori.

"Tori?" Shane shook the blue ranger's shoulder. He sighed in relief as she groaned in response. "How bad are you hurt?"

"I'll be okay. She didn't really do that much to me." Tori replied. She winced a little as Shane helped her to her feet. "How are the others?"

"Haven't checked yet." Shane said. He motioned towards where Blake had been fighting Psycho Navy. "Go check on Blake. I'll check on Hunter and Dustin."

Tori stumbled away to where Blake was trying to get up, while Shane found Hunter sprawled across the road. He was a little frightened to see the most powerful of them unconscious and helpless. If just one of the psychos was powerful enough to beat down Hunter, then what did that say about the group as a whole?

Just as Shane knelt beside Hunter the thunder ranger stirred and groaned. Hunter raised and hand and tried to press it to his aching head, but the helmet got in the way. He let Shane help him into a sitting position, but had to put his head between his knees and take deep breaths to keep from passing out. Shane put a hand on his shoulder, but Hunter knocked it away with a grunt of annoyance. Understanding the mood Hunter was in Shane decided to leave him alone and instead went to where Dustin was lying almost completely still except for the uncontrolled twitches that happened every once in a while.

"Dustin."

No response.

"Dustin, answer me man." Shane gently shook the yellow ranger, but still got no response. He started to panic and shook him a little rougher. There was still no response. He looked around at his other teammates and found they were starting to recover a little. "I'm taking him back to Ops."

Without another word Shane picked up Dustin and ninja streaked away.

ZzZzZ

Lothor laughed as he watched the Psycho Rangers tearing into their foes. It was so good to see his forces winning for once. He especially enjoyed seeing the Thunder Rangers getting pounded. Traitors always got what they deserved.

"I've waited for this day long enough." Lothor said with glee. He expected to watch the five Psychos finish off the rangers, but instead they teleported away. Lothor was beside himself with anger. "Why did they stop?"

"Perhaps they want to make the rangers suffer." Kalix said. He knew that was the case. He had told them that he wanted them to break the rangers emotionally before they destroyed them. Lothor had no clue that only Kalix could give them orders.

"I don't want the rangers to suffer. I want them dead." Lothor growled.

"I'll talk to them my lord." Kalix said. "But do they please you? Have I earned my place back?"

Lothor shot the reptilian creature a look. "We'll see."

Kalix bowed and left the room. Zurgane stepped up to his master. "Master, surely you do not trust that snake."

"Of course not." Lothor snapped. "He is nothing more than a pawn, but his Psycho Rangers are going to prove very useful to me. Very useful indeed."


	2. Is he?

Shane stood over Cam as the older man ran a scanner over Dustin. Normally Cam would have told him to back off, but the circumstances were very different. None of the rangers had been hurt this bad before. During the journey back to Ninja Ops Dustin had demorphed, but wasn't waking up. Cam wasn't sure there was much he could do for the yellow ranger. Dustin needed to go to a hospital and as the other rangers showed up he was pretty sure Hunter did too. The reaction he got when he voiced this idea was a negative one.

"Those Psychos scanned our minds. They probably know who we are." Shane said.

"So? Lothor knows who you are." Cam replied.

"These guys are different somehow Cam." Tori said. "I don't think it's safe for Dustin to be out there helpless."

Something in Tori's voice was enough to convince Cam. The Psycho Rangers seemed much different than anything the rangers had faced before. They seemed completely evil. Not under any spells or mind warps. They were doing everything of their own free will. Even Hunter and Blake hadn't done as much damage as the new arrivals had when they were under Lothor's influence. Cam knew somehow that Dustin wouldn't be safe in a hospital where the Psychos could get a hold of him.

"Alright, but-." Cam cut himself off as Dustin stirred.

"Man, did anyone catch the number of the bus that just hit me?" Dustin mumbled, bringing a smile of relief to several faces. If he could joke then he was probably okay. He sat up a little weakly and shook his head as if to clear it. "Dudes, that was brutal."

"No kidding. You guys weren't even that bad." Tori said, echoing Cam's thoughts about the Thunder Rangers. "We couldn't even touch them before they scanned our minds. How are we supposed to beat them now?"

Everyone's eyes flicked to Shane, who paled just a little bit. He was already starting to have doubts about his leadership. He had been pretty secure about it before the Psycho Rangers, but Psycho Red had proved a point. He hadn't been able to help his teammates when they needed it. Hunter probably had a concussion and they were all really lucky Dustin was still alive. Now they all wanted an idea from him on how they would beat what he was sure was going to be their greatest challenge? Shane didn't know what to tell them.

"Perhaps right now you should all just try and rest." Their Sensei suggested, saving Shane from having to say anything.

The ninjas all agreed silently. Hunter and Blake retreated to their room and Cam suggested Dustin use his own room to sleep in. Tori decided to work on some homework to take her mind off of things while Shane settled down to meditate.

ZzZzZ

"You're pathetic! Why didn't you even try to hurt the Red Ranger?" Crimson demanded.

Red glared though it was hidden by his helmet. "I'm using psychological warfare against him. I want him to doubt his abilities as a leader before I destroy him."

"Or you're too weak to fight him." Crimson taunted.

At the same time Yellow and Navy were paired off. Navy was angry about Yellow insulting him in front of their enemies. Yellow was nonchalant about it and didn't even flinch at Navy's threats. Navy quickly lost his temper and with a roar launched himself at his teammate. Yellow dodged his attack and growled at being attacked. The two began to trade blows so fast they became a blur. Navy managed to land a fierce kick to Yellow's chest sending his teammate tumbling across the cold floor to land at Psycho Blue's feet. Yellow scrambled up and charged Navy only to disappear into the ground as Navy kicked at thin air. Yellow came up right behind Navy and locked an arm around his teammate's neck.

"Attack me again and I'll kill you." Yellow whispered threateningly so that only Navy could hear him. "And I'll make sure it hurts."

Navy growled and started to reply before Red spoke first. "Zadan, let him go."

"He attacked me first." Psycho Yellow, otherwise known as Zadan, retorted.

"I don't care who started it I'm going to finish it." Psycho Red barked.

Psycho Blue rolled her eyes behind her helmet. "You sound like my dad."

"So?"

"I killed my dad." The other four psychos looked toward her in shock. "He lectured me too much. Tried to control me."

Psycho Red mentally took note of that. She wasn't going to openly oppose him for power like Crimson, but she was interested. She would be sneaky and underhanded about it. He would have to keep an eye on her or perhaps have Navy do so.

Navy was maybe the most sane and trustworthy of them all. Red knew he could count on Navy to have his back. During their training as a team Navy had been the only one to really make friends with everyone, except Red who stuck to himself. He wasn't interested in power or a high rank on the team. He wouldn't even go out of his way to start trouble, but if he felt insulted or wronged he would do what he had to in order to make it right. Hence attacking Psycho Yellow.

Crimson shook off his surprise at Psycho Blue's revelation and grabbed Red's arm. "We're not done yet."

Red swung around like a flash and hit Crimson hard enough to send the other psycho flying. The other Psychos watched with varying degrees of interest. Crimson hit a wall and crumpled to the ground in surprise and pain. Red glared at him even though it was still hidden behind his helmet.

"We _are_ done Terik." Red snarled, using Crimson's real name for effect. "I'm leader and it's staying that way."

"I dunno Dariv. Terik has a point." Psycho Blue spoke up. "You didn't do much to Red Ranger. He barely limped at all."

Red turned on her, furious at her sudden involvement. "I won't be questioned by you too."

"Then prove you're a worthy leader." Crimson said as he stood up. He brushed himself off, not that there was anything to brush off. "Let's go down there. We'll do our part and you make sure Red Ranger doesn't just walk away from this fight."

"That's an excellent idea." A new voice joined in. The Psychos immediately showed team unity and faced the speaker ready to fight if needed. Instead they found Master Kalix watching them from the doorway into their "conference" room. "Lothor was impressed by your power, but upset you didn't destroy them."

"You told us-."

Kalix cut Psycho Red off. "I know what I told you and it's still what I want. Have your fun until I tell you otherwise. We'll destroy them when we're ready."

"Is Lothor falling for it?" Psycho Red questioned.

"Hook, line, and sinker." Kalix said with a grin. "If he talks to you be respectful and follow his orders unless I say otherwise. The more he trusts you the more beneficial it will be in the long run."

"He has no clue what he's in for." Red laughed. The rest of the team echoed him.

"And neither do the rangers."

ZzZzZ

_What happened?_

That was the first thought that crossed his mind. His body was wracked with mind numbing pain and it took him several long minutes to figure he was on the ground. He couldn't remember why though. It hurt too much to think.

Then as if a light switch had been flipped he remembered. The reptile thing. The reptile thing came to the temple. He had beaten the reptile around for several minutes before...

He shot to his feet and turned toward the pedestal. His heart stopped beating and he almost couldn't breathe.

"No, it can't be."

The Gems of Power were gone. He had worked for a long time to protect the Gems of Power. He had fought off hordes of putties, tengas, cogs, quantrons, and many other foot soldiers that had been sent to retrieve the Gems. He had taken on monsters of considerable power all by himself and stomped them into the ground. Henchmen and generals had come in search of something to impress those they served. He had fought against overwhelming odds and always won.

And one reptile things waltzed in and took the Gems. Not only took the Gems but insulted him and his deceased teammates before zapping him with some very powerful device. His back was still burning from where the device had touched.

_It's not your fault Kale. It is destiny._

"I failed again."

_No, it was never you destiny to keep them safe forever. Your destiny awaits you on Earth._

"Earth?" Kale questioned. "What is it with Earth? Lord Zedd wanted the Gems to use against the power rangers there. Then King Mondo wants them for the same reason. What is it with this Earth?"

_Go Kale. You are needed there. You must right the wrongs that have been done._

ZzZzZ

Dustin was just starting to get his bearing back when Cam announced the Psycho Rangers were back. The Yellow Ranger groaned, but stood with the team as they morphed and went to fight their newest foes. The Psycho Rangers were standing calmly waiting for the rangers to appear when the five ninjas streaked in. The rangers stood so that they were faced off against their corresponding colors and if not for the helmets both sides would have been glaring hatefully at each other.

"Back up so soon Yellow Ranger? I'll make sure you stay down this time." Psycho Yellow taunted.

For once Dustin didn't have a sarcastic or snide comeback. He wouldn't have admitted it to anyone else, but after his first encounter with his new nemesis Dustin was afraid of the Psycho Ranger. Psycho Yellow had thrown him around, followed him into the ground, and held him in a very helpless position while literally shocking him nearly to death. Normally he would have tried to be optimistic about beating the Psycho Rangers, but he was starting to have his doubts. He wasn't in a hurry to experience that again, but he knew as a ranger he would have to face his worst enemy and win or be destroyed. And defeat was not an option because his life was hardly the most important thing at stake.

"Alright, _leader_ we'll hold the others off. You do what you came to do." Crimson said.

Red turned with a growl and grabbed Crimson's neck. "Don't tell me what to do! I'm the leader here!"

"Then prove it." Crimson growled, knocking Red's hand away.

"Fine." Red snarled. He was done with being questioned. He would prove his right to be a Psycho Ranger. "Psychos Rangers attack!"

Psycho Red didn't waste any time playing around. He knew he had to prove his supremacy as a leader. Psycho Blue and Psycho Crimson might conspire against him if they suspected him to be weak. He wouldn't let that happen. He was destined to be their leader and destined to lead them in defeating the rangers. He knew it in his heart and he was going to make sure they knew it too.

Shane reeled as he was hit three times before he could even blink. Even as he stumbled back he was met with a fierce kick to his back that he knew would have broken some bones if not for the suit. He used the momentum to tuck himself into a ball and roll to his feet. He spun just in time to see a fist flying at his face and the impact sent him flying backward. He collided with Psycho Blue, who had been taunting Tori. Shane tried to get up and away from Blue, but he wasn't fast enough. Enraged at being attacked from behind Psycho Blue snatched Shane up by his neck and then slashed him several times with her cutlass. She then kicked the fairly beaten Red Range back at Psycho Red.

"Hey, don't touch my ranger!" Red yelled furiously.

"Then keep a better eye on him!" Blue retorted.

Meanwhile Dustin was avoiding Psycho Yellow at all cost. Psycho Yellow loved every moment of it. He could tell he had put fear into the little ranger and it made him feel powerful. He pulled his Psycho Scythe and charged the ranger, slow enough for Dustin to see it coming. Dustin pulled out his Lion Hammer and knocked the Psycho's scythe to the side, but Yellow used the momentum to swing around, wrap the blade around Dustin's neck and spin around. The swung Dustin into the air and then hard into the ground. Dustin's already abused body screamed in protest and he couldn't find the strength to get up.

Not far away Psycho Navy and Psycho Crimson were working together against their counterpart, though they hardly needed to do so. They found that the more they tried to separate the two rangers the more they stuck together. So the Psychos, though solitary fighters by nature, worked together to try and separate the brothers. It was harder work than they wanted to admit, because sometimes the brothers would switch opponents before the Psychos could stop them. Crimson was quickly getting tired of Blake's interference and tired of Navy not being able to handle his own ranger.

"Keep your ranger away from mine." Crimson snarled at his teammate.

"I don't see you doing any better." Navy retorted.

The two Psychos were distracted with each other just long enough to give Hunter and Blake time enough to regroup. Hunter pulled his Crimson Blaster while Blake pulled his Navy Antler and seized their advantage by attacking while the Psychos were distracted. Hunter blasted Navy while Blake grabbed Crimson and sent energy crackling through the evil Psycho's suit. As Navy went down Hunter pressed his advantage only to have Navy pull his Psycho Quarterstaff. Crimson bashed Blake hard with his Psycho Shield and turned his attention to Hunter fighting Navy. With a growl Psycho Crimson charged Hunter from behind and bashed the ranger right in the middle of the back. Navy disengaged from Hunter and turned his attention to Blake, finally getting back to his real target.

At the same time Psycho Blue was viscously slashing Tori with her Psycho Cutlass while the Blue Ranger tried to use her Ninja Sword in defense. The two parried and slashed, ducked and dodged, but it was clear Psycho Blue had the advantage. Her cutlass may have been shorter, but she could move about twice as fast as Tori and seemed ready for everything Tori tried. For every attack there was a brutal counterattack and vice versa. Tori couldn't seem to gain any ground and pretty soon she was laid out of the ground, her suit sparking like a Fourth of July firework.

And it was then that all the Psychos restrained their rangers, except for Psycho Red. He could feel his teammates' eyes on him. He knew it was time to show them how powerful he was and send a clear message that he was their leader. With a growl he doubled his attack against Shane, deftly dodging any attacks the red ranger tried and landing brutal jabs and slashes that had Shane's suit sparking. Pretty soon Shane was barely standing on his own and Psycho Red was ready to finish it.

"One incapacitated ranger, coming right up." Red announced, more to Crimson and Blue than to anyone else. "Psycho Slash Attack!"

Dustin was the closest to Shane and though he was in a lot of pain he moved without thinking. He sunk into the ground and jumped up right in front of Shane. Shane froze as Dustin appeared out of the ground and stood in front of him. He knew he should have moved, but he couldn't. Red energy slashed through the air and struck Dustin with frightening power. His suit sparked as he screamed in agony as his already abused body was attacked once more. Mini explosions tore through his suit as he fell to his knees. The world dimmed and slowed down as he stared with unfocused eyes at the leader of the Psycho Rangers. And then everything darkened to a peaceful black and he felt no more pain.

"You got the wrong ranger you fool!" Psycho Yellow shrieked. "That's my ranger!"

"You failed." Crimson sneered. He streaked over to Red, grabbed his fellow Psycho and then teleported away.

The rest of the Psychos looked at each other. Psycho Yellow gave Dustin a disappointed look, having wanted to torture the ranger more himself, before streaking away. Psycho Blue followed quickly, but Navy hesitated. He stared at Dustin then at the other rangers and then at Dustin again. Something about Dustin's actions struck something deep within him that brought up a bolt of pain and a memory he didn't know he had.

_"Look out!"_

_He spun, but never would have moved fast enough. He saw the energy blast coming at him and knew it was over. Then there was a body blocking the path. He saw a black suit and cried out in despair just before the energy struck his teammate, propelling the older boy into his arms. He caught his teammate but was bowled over by the weight._

_"Jakol, no!"_

Psycho Navy snapped out of the trance and realized that the Thunder Rangers were converging on him. He quickly streaked away before they could attack him.

Shane finally unfroze and rushed to Dustin's side. He gathered his friend in his arms and sat down with Dustin laying across his lap. _No, oh god no._ It was all he could do or say. No. Over and over again he repeated it like a broke record.

Tori got to her feet and stumbled over to Shane and Dustin, dropping to her knees heavily. She reached out a hand to her yellow clad friend and jerked back in surprise as Dustin demorphed to his ninja form. She was surprised at how peaceful he looked despite the pain he had to have been in before passing out. She couldn't tell if he was breathing or not. Panic struck her and her heart pounded wildly as she felt Blake and Hunter join them.

"Is he...?"

"Nonononono." Shane kept mumbling, not even fully aware of the others.

Tori reached out and felt Dustin's neck with trembling fingers. For a moment her heart stopped beating as she couldn't find a pulse. Tears welled in her eyes and breath caught in her throat. It couldn't be. Dustin couldn't be dead. Then she felt it, faint, but still there. He had a pulse.

"No he's alive." Tori finally announced.

"Let's get back to Ops." Hunter growled.

ZzZzZ

Shane sat in the waiting room of the hospital with a million thoughts whirling in his mind. He had been silent ever since Cam insisted they take Dustin to the hospital. He hadn't said a word when they were checking him in or when the nurses told them to wait. He had been silently brooding in a way that put Hunter to shame.

And he had one major question running through his mind, repeating over and over. Why? Why had Dustin jumped in front of him? Not that he wouldn't have done the same thing for any of his teammates, but Dustin had already been hurt to begin with. Psycho Yellow had done some real damage and Dustin didn't even really get a chance to recover before the Psychos attacked again. Then Dustin had to go and jump in front of that attack. It was a brave and noble thing to do, Shane was grateful, but at the same time he couldn't help but think he could have withstood the attack while Dustin...he wasn't so sure Dustin was going to live.

And possibly the worst thing was that he knew it was his fault. Shane knew that Dustin had taken the hit for him without even thinking. It was instinct. Nothing could have stopped Dustin from getting in front of him. But Shane froze. He could have shoved Dustin out of the way. He could have tackled him so that both of them missed being hit. He could have done anything other than stand there and watch it happen. The image repeated over and over again. Dustin's body rocking with the force of the attack, the energy crackling over his suit causing explosions around his whole body, and worst of all his collapse. Shane couldn't get it out of his head. How it went down and how it should have went down...it was haunting him. The fact that he had locked up, frozen when he should have acted and let his best friend pull a suicidal move.

"Are you here for Dustin Brooks?"

The group, sat in various positions around the waiting room, looked up at the voice. A middle aged lady stood before them with a clipboard in hand. Her green eyes flicked from the paperwork before her to the group gathering together. At their affirmative nods she decided to go on.

"I'm Doctor Gray. I have good news and I have bad news." The doctor said. "Whatever that monster hit him with didn't physically hurt him other than some bruising. His condition has stabilized."

"What's the bad news?"

"He's in a coma and I'm not sure when or if he's going to wake up."

ZzZzZ

Kalix couldn't have been happier. Things were progressing nicely. The Psycho Rangers were putting fear into the rangers' hearts. They were breaking down the team and putting doubt in their minds. He suspected the Red Ranger would be questioning his abilities as a leader after the last fight. The Yellow Ranger was out of the fight, possibly for good. It would only be a matter of time before the other rangers began to fall.

Then he could turn the Psychos loose on Lothor and any that stood with him. He could take over the empire and conquer Earth using the Psychos. He would accomplish what no evil forces before him ever had. He would make Earth his.


	3. Seeing Red

AN: I want to make it clear that my Psycho Rangers are not the same ones from PRiS. Those were created from monsters and their human forms were only a disguise. My Psychos are humans infused with power from the Gems of Power. It's not a big deal, but don't try to draw too many comparisons because other than the way the Psychos fight amongst themselves there's not much in common between the original Psychos and mine.

Also, I'm sorry I didn't mention this before, but there is going to be a light splash of slash. I think anyone who pays attention will figure out who between. If you're someone who is against it, rest assured that it won't be an important part of the story. I honestly didn't think it would pop up...but I guess I just can't avoid it these days. It will be addressed in a chapter coming up, but again romance is not a main theme of this story.

I'm in sore need of a beat-reader. I have a friend who reads all my stuff, but she's not a rangers fan and she can't tell me if I'm getting characters right. If anyone feels like they're up for the job I'd appreciate it. Review, email, or catch me on AIM (icestorm2598) and let me know. Thanks!

Last but not least I want to thank those that have reviewed so far. I hope you like where the story is going.

ZzZzZ

Crimson ducked as Red swung at him and swept his leg out in an attempt to trip him. Red easily leapt over the leg and made to kick Crimson in the face, but the other Psycho fell onto his back to avoid it. Red dropped his foot in an attempt to stomp the other's chest, but Crimson rolled and swept out his foot again. This time Red wasn't quick enough to jump and hit the ground hard on his back. Crimson lunged at the fallen Psycho, but Red met him with a kick to the chest that sent him flying back. The Crimson Psycho Ranger did a little roll and landed in a crouch, ready for Red's attack.

"Is that the best you've got? No wonder you were afraid to-."

Psycho Red cut Crimson off angrily. "I'm not afraid of anything. Not the rangers and certainly not you"

"Well, one of those things I can change." Crimson retorted with deadly calm.

"You guys talk too much" Psycho Blue complained.

"It's easier for him than fighting." Crimson taunted.

Red growled and attacked with several quick kicks, but Crimson blocked them all and managed to get to his feet. They traded attacks almost quicker than the eye could see, both trying to gain an advantage. Red shoulder tackled Crimson against a wall leaing his back open for an attack. Crimson laced his fingers together and brought his gauntlets down hard on Red's back. Red collapsed to one knee and Crimson made as if to knee him in the face, but Red blocked it and quickly rolled backward away from the attack. Crimson swung a punch at Red's face, but Red caught his fist and held it while throwing a kick at Crimson's chest. Crimson grabbed Red's leg with his free hand and threw his weight forward and pinned Red to the ground with ease.

"Now I'm the leader." Crimson snarled.

Red growled. The metallic echo might have scared someone else, but Psycho Crimson wasn't budged. "You're not fit to be a leader."

"I beat you." Crimson sneered.

"There's more to being a leader than that." Red continued.

Crimson sent a charge of energy through Red's body, laughing as his fellow Psycho arched in pain. "You want to keep arguing"

"Oh let the fool lead Dariv. When he fails you can take over again." Psycho Blue spoke up.

"Or maybe I can." Psycho Yellow spoke up.

Navy growled at him. "I wouldn't follow you if my life depended on it."

"You may not follow Zadan, but you will follow me." Crimson said, the meaningful look he gave Navy not completely lost behind the helmet.

Navy shot a look at Psycho Red. Red was still pinned to the ground by Crimson. Crimson had his hand firmly gripping Red's neck and it was clear that the latter wasn't getting back up. Navy trusted Psycho Red only a little more than Crimson or Psycho Blue for that matter. They were all power hungry warmongers but Red had the best instincts as a leader. Navy knew Crimson didn't have a clue how to be a good leader. Hell, Navy had better leadership instincts than Crimson, but he was only a follower. He knew he wasn't cut out to be a leader so he would have to make sure he followed the right one. He used his somewhat limited telepathic abilities that he and the other Psychos shared to send a brief message to Red before speaking aloud.

"Of course." Navy said simply.

Crimson eyed suspiciously. He knew better than to actually trust Navy. He didn't trust any of the Psychos not to stab him in the back. But he would make sure they understood who was leader. He would deal with them one by one.

"Then prove it." Crimson said. "The Navy and Crimson Thunder Rangers are alone and unmorphed. Come with me to show them the error of their ways."

Navy looked toward Red again. _Go_.

At Red's mental command Navy agreed and left with Crimson. Psycho Yellow helped Red to his feet and patted his teammate on the shoulder.

"Cheer up. We all know he'll make a lousy leader. Let's just let him find that out himself."

Red smacked Yellow's hand away with a growl. "If you don't want to follow him why didn't you stand up to him"

"Because it was fun to watch you two fight."

"Get away from me." Red spat out angrily. He shoved Yellow away and stormed out of the conference room.

Yellow looked at Blue. "What'd I say"

"You're a moron." Blue sneered, then followed in Red's footsteps.

Yellow stood in the empty room, his helmet hiding his satisfied smirk. They all thought him to be a fool. They didn't expect anything out of him except brutality and bluntness. They had no clue how shrewd and calculating he was. He couldn't wait to shove that in their faces.

ZzZzZ

Hunter watched as Blake landed his bike after a satisfyingly high jump and waited as his brother stopped where he was already sitting. They both left their bikes and walked in silence through a natural path in the forest out to an outcrop looking over the beach. It was their peaceful place to go and think when things got too heavy. Blake thought the ocean was beautiful and Hunter enjoyed the sound of the rushing water. They meditated there often and it was their place for deep conversations. They had spent more than a few nights watching the sun go down and the stars come out. It was their place to share as brothers and they never mentioned it to the other rangers.

"Those Psychos...what are we going to do about them Hunter" Blake asked as he sat down.

Hunter looked out over the water. "Beat them if we can."

"If"

"Look at what they did to Dustin." Hunter replied. "We can hardly even touch them let alone defeat them."

"I trust Shane and Cam to figure something out."

Hunter shot his brother a look. "What about me"

"That's a given bro."

"Right." Hunter didn't seem fully satisfied with the answer, but decided not to start something with his brother. They needed each other. "Cam I trust, but I'm not so sure about Shane."

"Oh don't start that again." Blake groaned.

"C'mon Blake he let Dustin take that hit."

"Dustin popped up before any of us could have stopped him." Blake argued. "Shane never would have let Dustin take that hit if he could have stopped him."

"I didn't see him try very hard."

Blake sighed. "Just leave it alone bro. Shane's torn up about it enough without you adding to it."

Hunter snorted, but didn't say anything more. An uncomfortable silence fell between the two brothers as they both watched the tranquility of the ocean. Hunter knew in his mind that if Psycho Navy tried to do anything to Blake that he would be there to stop him. He would never let anything happen to his brother the way Shane let something happen to Dustin. What kind of leader watched a teammate take a potentially fatal hit? He hadn't said anything, but Hunter had watched Shane freeze up and just watch as Dustin took the hit. If Hunter could have moved he would have had time to push Dustin out of the way. Shane had frozen and it had cost Dustin.

"Bro, I know you care about Dustin, but being mad at Shane isn't going to fix anything." Blake reasoned. "Next time those Psychos attack we'll make things right."

"Oh yeah? Well here's your chance little ranger."

Hunter and Blake didn't even have time to get up before they were grabbed by the back of their necks and thrown backwards. Both boys used their ninja training to twist around land on their feet. They fell into fighting stances and weren't too surprised to see Psycho Navy and Psycho Crimson standing in front of them.

"Thunder Storm, Ran-." Hunter was cut off as Psycho Crimson slammed him backwards into a tree.

"-ger form. Ha" Blake finished his morphing sequence and immediately went to Hunter's aid.

Psycho Crimson was surprised as Blake struck him from behind. He had assumed Psycho Navy would attack at the same time and face off with the younger Bradley brother, but that was obviously not the case. With a growl of annoyance Crimson turned and backhanded Blake hard enough to send the Navy Thunder Ranger sprawling across the ground. He kept a hand firmly around Hunter's throat as he looked toward Psycho Navy still standing where he had started.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing you idiot" Crimson roared angrily.

Psycho Navy was caught in another memory. He saw flashes of rangers. He heard screaming and explosions in his ears and felt a phantom pain shoot through his chest. It wasn't until Crimson blasted him that he finally came back to reality, flat on his back and confused about what was going on. He was a Psycho Ranger why did he have memories of rangers? Of him fighting with rangers and not against them.

"Get your head out of your ass and attack" Crimson barked.

Hunter quickly took advantage of the distraction. He grabbed a branch above his head and kicked Crimson full on in the chest with both feet. As Crimson went tumbling away Hunter morphed quickly and pulled his Thunder Staff, prepared to fight for his life. For the first time since Lothor started his whole attack Hunter actually feared for his life. The Psycho Rangers had proven they weren't like Lothor's monsters that never were much of a threat. The Psychos meant business.

Psycho Navy quickly got to his feet and pulled his quarterstaff. He found Blake easily enough and charged the Thunder Ranger as Blake helped Hunter against Crimson. Blake sensed the attack and instinctively held his staff behind his head to block the blow. He swung around and blocked another shot at his head before trying to land one of his own. Psycho Navy was quicker and within the span of a second he struck Blake four times before they locked weapons. Psycho Navy pushed Blake back until the Navy Ranger was against a tree. There he easily kept him pinned.

"Why did you let me morph" Blake demanded.

"It doesn't make me a better warrior to attack you when you are in a weaker state." Psycho Navy replied. "A true warrior would not fear a challenge."

"Hey! If that's a jab aimed at me I'm going to have to teach you a lesson" Psycho Crimson yelled as he bashed Hunter's Crimson Blaster away. He swung around and hit Hunter with the edge of the shield making the ranger slam into a tree. "When we get back to the ship..."

Navy wasn't phased by Crimson's obvious threat. He continued his fight with Blake, easily thrashing the Thunder Ranger all around the cliff. He watched in surprise as Blake's suit fell empty to the ground, but quickly recognized it as one of his ninja tricks. He started to turn around, but was shocked when Blake's Navy Antler locked around him and an extreme blast of energy made his suit spark. Then he was lifted off his feet and tossed over the edge of the cliff. Blake rushed to the edge to watch his enemy fall, but was surprised not to see the Psycho Ranger falling.

"Blake look out" Hunter's warning came too late.

Blake spun just in time to see a boot flying at his face. He stumbled back, flailing desperately to keep his balance, and then slipped. He fell for a few feet before he managed to catch his Navy Antler around an outcropping of rock. With wide eyes he looked down at the swelling ocean beneath him and whimpered a little. It was a long drop. One he was sure that even his ranger suit wouldn't save him from.

"Blake" Hunter roared part in fury and part in disbelief. That was enough. Nothing could have set him off like that.

"Well, I never would have expected you to kill your ranger first." Crimson told Navy. He looked toward Hunter and laughed at the obvious fury surging through his nemesis. "What's the matter ranger? Your teammate take a nose dive"

"I'm gonna kill you" Hunter bellowed and threw himself at Crimson.

Unfortunately, Crimson was ready for everything Hunter threw at him. The Psycho Ranger laughed mockingly at his attempts while batting away his Thunder Staff. Crimson smashed Hunter in the face with his shield and shoved Hunter toward the cliff. He followed with a kick to Hunter's chest that took him just a little closer to the edge. Hunter saw what was going to happen and quickly streaked away from the edge and right at Psycho Navy. He seemed to catch the Psycho Ranger completely off guard and managed to get in a pretty good beating before he was grabbed from behind. He spun around, ducking as he did and listened to the satisfying sound of Crimson hitting Navy with his shield. As his nemesis tried to kick his head he caught the leg and shoved his whole body weight up and then over in a brutal tackle that ended with him on top of a startled Crimson punching him over and over again relentlessly.

He was seeing red, both literally and figuratively, and he just couldn't control himself. Seeing his little brother go over the cliff was just too much. He couldn't even tell how much time passed with him fiercely pounding away on Psycho Crimson before he was pulled away and Blake's reassuring voice cut through his thoughts. Hunter looked up in a daze and found his brother's familiar ranger mask looking down on him and could almost feel the anger drain out of him. The adrenaline rush left as well and he didn't even fight as Blake pulled him away from Crimson's demorphed and prone form. He barely even noticed as the Psychos were teleported away or the fact that Shane and Tori were there. All he knew was Blake was safe and that was all that mattered.

ZzZzZ

The first thing Crimson became aware of was that he was in the med room on Kalix's ship. The next was that someone very familiar was laughing and it wasn't a humorous sound. It was a mocking, degrading sound that snapped him fully awake. That was when he realized he was demorphed. He could still feel the raw power running through his veins, but demorphed he didn't feel as connected with it. He felt vulnerable.

"You got your ass beaten into the ground by that Crimson Rangers! I may have missed my ranger, but I certainly didn't let him beat me around" Psycho Red was nearly rolling on the ground with laughter.

Crimson, or Terik as he was known when demorphed, glared fiercely at Red. His helmet no longer hid his piercing gold eyes or the fierce tribal tattoo over the left side of his face. He was muscular, but not enough to be bulky or even enough to slow him down. He was tall too, but not lanky, and his feet halfway hung off the cot he was laying on.

"Lay off Dariv. Have some manners and leave the boy alone." Psycho Blue said, though it was clear she didn't really mean it too much.

Crimson growled. It was obvious he was going to have to make up for his loss at the hands of the Crimson Thunder Ranger.

More laughter drew his attention to Psycho Yellow, who was leaning against a counter. "You were the last one I expected to see go down at the hands of a ranger."

"Keep rubbing it in my face and see what happens." Crimson snarled.

Navy stood near the doorway watching with a hidden frown. He remembered a time when they would have cared about one another. When they started training to be a team they hadn't known each other. But they had become friends as they fought together to get through many different hardships. Sure Psycho Blue, or Aurias as Navy used to know her as, could be a little crazy and did horrible things when pushed, but she had become his friend. Zadan had been his best friend and they had pranked Terik more times than was safe. And Terik...Terik had been a big brother to him. Only Dariv had kept himself at a distance. Maybe the Red Psycho Ranger knew what was coming.

Navy wondered what had happened to change all of that. Was it actually getting the Psycho Powers? Or was it when Kalix had made Dariv the official leader of the team thoroughly pissing off Terik who had been working hard to impress their master. No, he was sure it probably happened when-.

"Hey silent and brooding boy. Why the hell didn't you stop the Crimson Ranger from beating me into the ground"

Navy was startled to find Crimson was right in his face. Morphed and all. He started to reply, but a fist to his helmeted face rocked him backwards. He nearly fell into the wall, but had the presence of mind to duck and dodge away when Crimson came at him again. He blocked several kicks until Crimson faked a roundhouse and instead swept Navy's feet out from under him. Navy hit the ground flat on his back and tried to roll away, but Crimson planted a foot on his chest and leaned forward, pushing all his weight down. The armor kept any damage from being done, but he was effectively pinned.

"Next time you see your leader go down make sure to do something about it." Crimson snarled.

"I was down too or did you forget bashing me in the face with your damn shield." Navy hissed furiously.

"Besides, do you really need the runt saving your ass? Are you that weak Terik" Psycho Red taunted.

Navy felt offended and grateful at the same time as Crimson turned his attention away from him and toward his rival. Crimson kept his foot pinning Navy to the ground as he turned to look at Psycho Red. Their helmets hid their faces but Navy was sure they were glowering at each other. There was going to be another battle for leadership soon.

"Oh grow up. You two don't have to fight every five minutes." Psycho Blue said.

"Yeah, we're supposed to be teammates." Navy spoke up. He regretted it immediately as all eyes fell on him. He mentally kicked himself. That was a thought he should have kept to himself.

"So what" Yellow sneered. "Do you expect hugs and flowers? Should it be all sunshine and butterflies between us"

At that the other Psychos laughed and Navy found it bitterly ironic that they managed to unite in order to mock him. "Of course not, but we don't have to be hateful to each other."

"You naivete would be cute if the word existed in my vocabulary." Psycho Blue sneered.

Psycho Yellow looked toward her, his mocking smirk hidden. "You just said it so obviously it's in your vocab."

"Shut up you before I show you that 'ass beating' is in my vocab too."

"Oh? Try it."

"Enough." Red barked.

Blue and Yellow paused and looked at their former leader. Crimson finally stepped away from Navy and approached Red. All humor was gone from his body language. He meant business. Navy scrambled to his feet just as Crimson rushed Red. Psycho Red didn't even have time to blink before he was slammed against the cabinets where medical supplies were kept.

"I'm the leader, got that? Do I have to beat that into you because I will."

The two glared at each other behind their helmets, but the heat and friction between them was obvious. Both were tense and ready to fight. It was clear violence could erupt at any moment and the other three Psychos watched with interest. Finally Red seemed to deflate a little and backed off.

"I got it, sir." Red spat a like it tasted bad in his mouth.

"Good. Everybody get some rest and be ready for a call to action. And no one is to go after a ranger without mine or Kalix's permission."

"Yes sir." The other Psychos intoned with varying degrees of respect.

ZzZzZ

Shane settled himself beside Dustin's hospital bed and sighed deeply. Dustin hadn't so much as blinked since they brought him. A coma, that's what the doctor had said. Shane couldn't believe that Dustin was in a coma. One that the doctor said he might not come out of. Shane didn't believe that. There was no way Dustin wouldn't wake up. He had to. It just wasn't an option for him to stay in a coma.

Shane would never be able to live with himself it that happened. He already couldn't stand the thought that he had allowed Dustin to get hurt. What kind of leader, of friend, freezes up and lets his teammate, his best friend, get put in a coma? Tori obviously didn't think it was his fault. As far as he could tell she didn't even consider the possibility. Blake didn't seem to blame him either. The younger Bradley brother had flat out told him so and then given him a warning. Hunter did blame him. Shane wasn't surprised. Of all the rangers Hunter would have noticed him freeze up. Hunter noticed any mistakes Shane made when it came to being a leader and though things had started to lighten up between the two there were still times Hunter pointed things out.

Hunter had been giving him the cold shoulder accompanied by a death glare ever since the battle. Shane had tried to ignore it, but after Blake's warning he couldn't help but practically feel Hunter's glare burn his skin. It was so icy cold that Shane was reminded of the Crimson Thunder Ranger that had come after him, Dustin, and Tori in order to get to Sensei. Nothing could make Shane's skin crawl like Hunter's glare.

And that didn't help him feel any better. Hunter didn't have to say anything to make Shane feel worse. It was the fact that Hunter knew the truth and pointed it out with that look every time they were in the same room.

"I'm sorry Dustin." Shane said Dustin as if his friend could reply. He half expected Dustin to sit up in the bed with a big boyish grin and call him on falling for a prank. But Dustin didn't move. "I know I've said this already but it doesn't seem to be helping. I feel like it's eating me from the inside out. You're hurt because of me and I can't do anything to help you. Except this maybe. The doctor said you probably couldn't hear me, but I know that even if you can't hear my words you know I'm here. Maybe I can make up for what I've done by helping you now."

The monitors beeped and hummed. That was Shane's answer in the cold, sterile room. As expected he got no reaction from his comatose friend.

"At the risk of sounding like a complete sap and utter moron, please come back to us. We're falling apart without you." Shane said. "Tori is hardly sleeping or eating. She's in here more than I am as I'm sure you've noticed. Hunter and Blake seem to be split on whether to blame me or not and it's causing a lot of friction between them. And me? I don't know what I'll do if you don't wake up soon. I think even Cam misses you. He cares more than he wants to admit, y'know."

Shane looked up as he felt another presence enter the room. A nurse walked in with a clipboard, wrote a few things down, the regarded Shane with sympathy. "I'm sorry, but visiting hours are over."

Shane nodded and shot a brief look at Dustin. He wasn't sure how to say goodbye to someone who couldn't reply while the nurse watched on. He finally settled on a quick squeeze of the hand and then left. He knew he would be back tomorrow. He just hoped he wouldn't find the same thing.


	4. Nightmares In Blue

She couldn't stand it. There was a needle being driven into her mind. There was the nagging sensation of a job to be done. She didn't want to wait, couldn't wait. It was driving her nuts. The intense need to do something. The burning feeling that she could end her suffering was too much to ignore. She had to act, had to finish it before the needle drove her insane...or well...more insane.

"...no one is to go after a ranger without mine or Kalix's permission."

Those had been Psycho Crimson's words. None of them realized days would pass without action. It was going on the fourth day of waiting and Psycho Blue couldn't take it anymore. She could feel Tori's presence in the back of her mind, the needle driving relentlessly in her mind. She had to kill her. She had to get rid of the Blue Ranger's presence. The rest of her sanity depended on it.

ZzZzZ

Tori shifted restlessly in her sleep. She had been having nightmares ever since Dustin went down in battle. She dreamed of the attack and her mind supplied even more imaginative ends for herself. Needless to say Psycho Blue starred in all her nightmares. Even if it started out as a pleasant dream it always went bad.

The reoccurring nightmare always started with her surfing. Her dream self would catch the perfect wave and ride it for a long time. Then suddenly she would realize she was riding a tsunami and she would have a wipeout and get dragged under. She always managed to break the surface and breathe, but just as she would take a deep breath something would grab her by the ankles and drag. her under. She would kick and fight, taking in mouthfuls of water. Then she would manage to look down. And she always found herself looking into Psycho Blue's glowing visor, which made it look all the more menacing.

That's when she would always jolt awake.

Tori gasped and sat up straight in her bed trying to catch her breath. She almost felt like she really had been dragged under the water and was drowning. She managed to just catch her breath when she realized she wasn't alone. With a gasp she looked toward the window and found a dark form standing there. Her ninja training kicked in and she immediately felt the presence was familiar but all wrong to be in her room. She could tell that whoever it was, wasn't looking at her, so she very quietly slipped out of bed. She thanked her lucky stars that the bed didn't creak like usual and silently stalked toward the intruder. She was just close enough to reach out and touch whoever it was when the figure spun around and even in the dark Tori knew who it was.

Because she was looking into the glowing visor that haunted her nightmares.

Psycho Blue.

Tori scrambled backwards but not quick enough. Psycho Blue lunged and shoved her back against the bedroom door. One gauntlet wrapped tightly around the water ninja's mouth while the other was loosely clutching her neck. Psycho Blue's mocking laugh sent chills up and down her spine and she had a brief flash of worry that her parents would hear, but that thought quickly left her mind. Her immediate worry became breathing.

"Oh little blue, did you really think you were safe here?" Psycho Blue taunted. "You're more of a fool than I thought."

_Don't kill her so quickly_. A voice whispered in the back of Psycho Blue's mind. _Make the little ranger suffer._

Psycho Blue relented to the voice and before Tori knew what was going on she and the Psycho Ranger were streaking away from her house and the false sense of safety it had provided. When she next became aware of her surrounding she realized they were in the forest. Where exactly was a good question, but irrelevant considering the situation. All she knew was that she was in deep trouble. It was late at night and likely that Cam would be asleep and could expect no one to know she was in danger. She didn't really think Psycho Blue was going to give her the chance to use the communicator function of the morpher.

We really need distress signals of some sort. Tori thought. Maybe I'll mention it to Cam.

"Well, here's your chance to morph little blue, not that it'll save you." Psycho Blue announced, standing only a few feet away.

Tori thought about just ninja streaking away, but where would she go? She couldn't go to Ninja Ops and lead the Psycho right to it. That was quickly becoming their only safe place. Psycho Blue would likely follow her wherever she went, which meant she would just be better off to stay and fight. In the unlikely event that she beat Psycho Blue they would have one less of them to worry about.

"Ninja Storm, Ranger Form. Ha!"

Tori's suit had barely encompassed her before she was attacked. The cutlass lashed across her chest spewing sparks. She tried to back away, but Psycho Blue followed quickly, never relenting for a moment. Tori yanked out her Ninja Sword and blocked a swing at her head. The next ten minutes was spent with the two furiously trying to land hits at each other. Psycho Blue seemed to be the only one making any progress. She was slowly but surely backing Tori toward a tree trunk that had fallen. Tori didn't even have a chance to see it coming. Her feet connected with something solid and she fell backwards. On her way down Blue managed to slash her two more times with the cutlass. However accidental the fall was Tori was able to tuck and roll backwards and used her hands to spring her back onto her feet.

"Nice moves." Blue remarked in a voice that was clearly not impressed at all.

Tori didn't have a smart ass comeback and wouldn't have gotten a chance to say it anyway before Psycho Blue attacked again. Their fight was furious and Tori found herself brawling more than fighting like ninja. There was no real skill being used, just all out desperate fighting that was unlike anything she had ever allowed herself to do. Psycho Blue was bringing out primal instincts of survival that were screaming to do anything necessary to live. Even fight dirty.

But nothing was phasing or stopping Psycho Blue. She was ready for anything and everything, even when Tori tried to change tactics. The more desperate the blue ranger got the more mistakes she made. Pretty soon Tori was laying on the ground with her suit sparking fiercely. She tried to get back up, but found a foot on her chest pinning her down.

"It was a nice try ranger, but I'm done playing now." Blue sneered.

Tori grabbed the Psycho's foot and twisted her whole body to the side. She scrambled to her feet as Psycho Blue used the momentum to cartwheel instead of fall. The two faced each other again, hatred clear in their body language. They charged each other again and clashed weapons with furious speed. They quickly became nothing more than a blur as their struggle took them all around. Then Psycho Blue landed a lucky kick to Tori's chest that sent the Ninja Ranger slamming into a tree trunk.

Tori got to her feet and ducked in time to miss being decapitated. Right then she knew she had to get away. She couldn't go home because she couldn't put her family in danger. She couldn't go to Ninja Ops and lead the Psycho to their only safe place. She didn't know where to go, but she knew she had to get away.

"Ninja smokescreen!"

Psycho Blue watched with amusement as the blue ranger disappeared behind a burst of blue smoke. When the smoke cleared the girl was gone. Psycho Blue smirked. Did she honestly think she could get away? There was no where for the girl to go.

ZzZzZ

Dustin looked around in confusion. Hadn't he just been in Blue Bay Harbor fighting the Psycho Rangers? As far as he could tell he was in the savanna, which meant in Africa. How did he get there? What was going on? He turned in a circle expecting to see his friends, but there was nothing but grassland and animals for miles.

"What's going on?"

"You're unconscious."

Dustin spun, falling into a fighting stance, before he noticed the massive lion watching him. The creature was all muscle and more intimidating than anything Lothor had ever thrown at him. The lion's golden eyes watched him with amusement as it sat on its haunches.

"So why do I feel like I'm in a bad rendition of the Lion King?"

The lion seemed to roll his eyes. "Don't ask me this is your unconscious mind we're talking about. You summoned me here."

"Summoned you here? Dude, I don't even have a clue how I would have done that." Dustin frowned at himself for talking to a lion. "What do you mean by summon?"

"I'm not a part of your mind little cub." The lion replied. "I'm your spirit animal. Do you forget everything this easily?"

"Excuse me if our focus has never been on our spirit animals. We focus on elements."

"I know. You've practically ignored me." The lion said. Dustin thought the voice almost sounded sad. "I suppose I can't blame you. Hawk and Dolphin get the same treatment and your Thunder buddies don't even know their animals spirits exist."

"Hunter and Blake have spirit animals? Don't tell me, are they bugs?"

"No." Lion said. "The thunder powers aren't connected to their animals like your wind powers are."

"Why not?"

At that the lion looked a little annoyed. "How should I know?"

"Well…" Dustin looked a little lost. He wasn't even sure this wasn't all a part of his imagination. Well, obviously it was because he was unconscious, but what role did the lion really play? Was there a point to any of this? "Why are you here again?"

"You summoned me." The lion retorted, looking annoyed to have to repeat himself. "You're facing something your element can't help you with and without realizing it you reached out to me."

"So, you can help me?" Dustin asked, still confused about the whole thing.

"I will give you strength when you need. All you have to do is call on me little cub. I've always been here and I always will be."

ZzZzZ

Tori knew she was being hunted. She felt as if Psycho Blue was breathing down her neck. Her enemy could be everywhere and though Tori's ninja senses allowed her to feel the danger there was nothing physically that she could do. Psycho Blue was too much for her alone and it was too late at night...or early in the morning...to contact anyone for help. Though that's not to say she hadn't tried, but something was blocking the communication. All she heard was static.

"You can't get away from me little ranger." Psycho Blue's voice seemed to echo from all sides.

Tori gathered her strength for another ninja streak and when she stopped she knew she didn't have the strength to do it again. The need to do so was reinforced when Psycho Blue appeared in front of her. Tori ducked the cutlass and rolled backwards as Blue tried to kick her. She sprang to her feet only to be kicked firmly in the chest again. This time when she slammed against the tree she fell to the ground and didn't have the strength to get up again. She watched with pain clouded eyes as Psycho Blue casually strolled over to her as if fighting the ranger was no big deal and killing her was the most natural thing to do.

"Now your brief reign as a ranger will come to an end."

Psycho Blue pointed her cutlass down at the ranger and prepared to deliver a fatal energy attack, but cried out in shock as she was attacked from behind. Her suit sparked as a sword sliced at her and she spun quickly only to receive a kick that sent her flying away from Tori. Blue got to her feet and looked up to see the two Thunder Rangers and the Red Wind Ranger standing protectively in front of Tori. She growled angrily at being stopped.

"Isn't it a little late for you kids to be up?" Blue sneered.

The Rangers offered no comeback, not that Blue expected one. She tensed as the two Thunders charged forward with their Thunder Staffs ready. She raised her cutlass to block them both, then gasped in pain as the Red Ranger streaked in and slashed her exposed midsection with his sword. The pain faded quickly and she shoved the two Thunder Staffs away from her, managing to send a wave of energy at the two Thunder Rangers while she was at it. The attack knocked them both off their feet and Blue turned to take on the Red Ranger, but barely had time to tense before she was under heavy attack from the angry Red Ranger. She managed to block a few swipes of the sword, but she was no match against him. Her strength was in fighting the Blue Ranger, the one she had scanned, not any of the others. She quickly found herself beaten onto her back and might have been impaled on a Ninja Sword if her reflexes had been any slower. She zipped away from the blade and to her feet only to be grabbed by a Navy Antler. Pain flashed through her as an extreme amount of energy was unleashed on her and then she was tossed right into the path of a ferocious flurry from the Crimson Blaster. Just when she thought she couldn't take anymore she was teleported away.

As Psycho Blue vanished Shane felt the fury leave him only to replaced by fear. He went to Tori's side and grimaced as she demorphed. She was conscious, but too weak to do or say anything. She needed medical attention and he just hoped it was something Cam could handle. The Psychos had just proven to the rangers that they weren't safe at all outside Ninja Ops.

ZzZzZ

Psycho Blue fidgeted as she stood facing Psycho Crimson's broad back. He was morphed, but she wasn't. She had been forcibly demorphed the moment she had returned. He had yet to say anything, but she could read the obvious signs of fury in his body language. She was in for it.

"You disobeyed a direct order." Crimson said. His voice was strangely calm. That frightened Blue considerably more.

"Sir-."

"What part of don't attack the rangers wasn't I clear on!" Crimson roared, spinning to face her. She backed up a step when she noticed his visor was glowing. He was really angry and the focus of it was her. "Now the rangers are going to go into hiding where we can't actively track them."

"I'm sorry sir, I-."

"Not as sorry as you're going to be." Crimson snarled. "Niko, give me your quarterstaff."

Psycho Blue was startled to realize the other Psycho Rangers were in the room as well. She had been too focussed on Crimson to see the others. She watched as Navy hesitated a moment too long and Crimson blasted him into a wall. Crimson strode over to where Navy lay and held out his hand. After a moment Navy handed him the quarterstaff and Crimson turned his attention back to Blue. She shrank a little bit as she was beginning to figure his punishment out.

"Turn around and kneel on the ground." Crimson ordered.

Blue hesitated for only a second before doing what she was told. She knew this routine well, except usually it would have been a cane that was a little bit more forgiving than Navy's quarterstaff was going to be. She braced herself but still wasn't ready for the pain that exploded through her back. She gasped and arched her back as if to get away from the next strike, but was unsuccessful. The second strike was even more painful than the first and by the third strike she was trembling. She wouldn't allow herself to cry though. Warriors don't cry. She told herself.

Red watched the happenings with growing fury. He never would have punished her like that. Kalix was the one that did the physical punishment. Sure he had beaten Crimson up a few times, but that was a dominance thing and recent events showed he hadn't done enough. Psycho Blue didn't deserve to be beaten with a quarterstaff. He could barely bring himself to stand by and watch as her back arched again and a small sound of pain escaped her.

Navy wasn't going to stand by. At Blue's whimper he'd had enough. Seeing her demorphed with her long brown hair cascading down her back and her dark green eyes exposed he felt his old affection for her during their training come back. As Crimson pulled his arm back for another strike Navy stepped forward and grabbed Crimson's arm. He ducked Crimson's swing and drove a knee upward into his so-called leader's chest. Crimson doubled over, but used that position to drive his shoulder forward into Navy's chest armor. The momentum carried them both to the floor where Crimson started pounding on Navy like the Crimson Ranger had done to him days earlier.

Psycho Yellow stood by watching it all with a silent frown. For the first time in a long time the fighting just didn't seem right. He didn't understand it. Instead of feeling satisfaction at watching Crimson's actions he felt like he should do something about it. He wondered where the feeling came from, but didn't have to do anything in the end. He watched as some unseen force picked Crimson up and threw him across the conference room into a wall.

"That's enough." Kalix barked.

Crimson hurriedly pulled himself to his feet and the Psychos assembled in front of Kalix. Psycho Blue hurriedly morphed and tried to ignore the pain in her back, but it was difficult. The Psychos stood silently as the reptile man glared at them for the first time in a long time.

"I better not see you fighting each other again." Kalix warned. "You're a team and working as a team is the only way you're going to beat the rangers."

"They're weaker than us." Crimson noted. "We don't need teamwork when we're more powerful than them."

Kalix shot him a glare. "Separately they may be weaker, but as a whole their teamwork makes them stronger." He eyed them speculatively. "What happened to all the work we put into making you a team?"

None of the Psycho Rangers replied. Crimson didn't understand what being a team had to do with anything. Red knew that this was a good example why Crimson wasn't a good leader. Blue was curious as to why Navy stood up for her. While Yellow just wondered why he cared. Navy was the only one who wondered what had happened to their teamwork. What had happened to the people who had talked him into getting a tattoo that symbolized their bond as a team and as friends?

"I want answers to my question." Kalix snarled. "All of you had better think about being a team while I try to convince Lothor the recent defeats at the hands of the Rangers doesn't mean anything. The next time I see you I had better see a team and not individuals."

"Yes master." The five Psychos replied with utmost respect.

Kalix gave them one more furious glare before he left. Immediately Red and Crimson were bickering while Blue slunk off to lick her wounds. Yellow also left to think better, while Navy was too wrapped up in his thoughts to notice the two Psychos arguing. What had happened to them, but more than that why was he the only one that cared?

ZzZzZ

"I am afraid that after this recent attack I cannot let any of you leave." Sensei announced from his spot on Tori's cot. "It is too dangerous."

"But Sensei, Kelly will probably fire us if we don't show up for work." Hunter argued.

"It is better to lose your job than it is to lose your life."

"What do we tell our parents?" Shane asked. "They're going to worry about us."

"We'll think of something to tell them after this is all over with." Cam replied. "For now it's better for us to worry about the more pressing matter of defeating the Psycho Rangers."

Hunter was silently glaring at Shane as usual. He couldn't believe his bad luck. Shane was going to be stuck in Ninja Ops where he and Blake were living while their academy was still missing. He still firmly believed Shane had failed Dustin as a leader and a friend and could hardly look at Shane. He hoped he didn't have to talk to the Red Ranger anytime soon. Nothing good would come out of his mouth and he knew Blake would reprimand him for it. It's not that he feared Blake, rather he hated fighting with his little brother. Blake was the only person in the world he really had now and the last thing he wanted was to fight with him. And if he started anything with Shane that was exactly what was going to happen and with the air ninja staying in Ninja Ops it was only a matter of time.


	5. The Blame Game

AN: First of all thank you to all of you who reviewed. Also, very big thank you to Weesta for being my beta-reader. I really, really appreciate it.

ZzZzZ

Only a matter of time roughly translated to three hours. Hunter had been avoiding Shane and anywhere Shane might be, but inside Ninja Ops there were only so many places they could go. Shane had been snacking in the kitchen when Hunter walked in. For a long moment two stared at each other. Actually, Hunter glared and Shane fidgeted under its intensity. When Hunter turned to walk out again Shane called out to him. In retrospect Shane wished he hadn't. It probably would have been better for both of them if he had just let Hunter go. Hindsight is twenty-twenty.

"Are you going to avoid me forever?"

Hunter paused with his back to the other ninja. He measured his words carefully and decided on a simple answer. "As long as I can."

"Wouldn't you feel better if you, y'know, talked about it?" Shane kicked himself mentally. What possessed him to say that he would never know. He knew exactly what was bugging Hunter. He was trying to seem more like a leader to the Thunder Ranger and it was obvious he was failing.

"No, I'd feel better if you weren't here at all." Hunter replied, spinning on his heel to glare at the air ninja once more. "Actually, I'd feel better if Dustin was sitting there instead of you."

Shane gaped at him. The deeper message behind Hunter's statement wasn't lost on him. He was a little startled that Hunter's subtle message hurt. "You wish I was in Dustin's place."

Hunter realized that was a level of cruelty he didn't want to reach ever again. He was mad at Shane yes, but he could never wish harm on any of his teammates.

"I just think you should have been brave enough to take the attack meant for you." Hunter said. "You probably would have withstood it better than Dustin. He was already hurt."

"I didn't have time to push him out of the way."

"That's bull and you know it." Hunter snarled, his anger beginning to rise. "You froze."

"I didn't freeze." Shane snapped. He knew he had, but having the other ranger throw it in his face made him defensive.

Hunter rolled his eyes. "Deny it all you want, but if Psycho Crimson hadn't had a hold of me I would have had enough time to shove Dustin out of the way."

"About that. How did Dustin, who was already hurt, manage to get away from Psycho Yellow and you couldn't get away from yours?"

"Hello, he can sink into the ground." Hunter snarled. "Besides, in case you forgot I went into that fight with a head injury."

"Now you're making excuses. Just admit that you couldn't do anything anymore than I could have."

"You didn't have a Psycho Ranger pinning you down!"

"I think you're just losing your touch!" Shane bit his lip. He hadn't meant to say that and his anger quickly deflated. He couldn't take it back and by the look on Hunter's face he couldn't apologize either.

Hunter growled. He knew his ability as a ranger had just been insulted. The ice in his eyes was so cold it burned. He might have physically done something about it if Blake and Tori hadn't chosen that moment to enter the kitchen. Instead he threw Shane a fierce look before storming out of the room. Blake watched him go and then turned an accusatory look toward Shane.

"What'd you do?" Blake demanded.

"I didn't do anything! Mr. Moodypants started it." Shane replied defensively. The truth was he had asked if Hunter wanted to talk about it, but he hadn't expected things to go bad so quickly. Things between Hunter and him had been strained even after the battle for leadership had been resolved. They just never were going to be buddies, but he had hoped things were getting better between them.

Blake didn't look completely convinced, but didn't want to argue. "Just give him some space. He'll cool down."

"Why is he so mad about it anyway? We're closer to Dustin than he is." Tori asked. "He's kinda taking it to the extreme."

Blake shrugged. "Hunter doesn't do anything halfway."

ZzZzZ

**_The monster wasn't the usual joker who smart mouthed more than fought. This one was serious and meant business. It had eight arms, four eyes, white skin, muscular features, and two horns on its head. It had called itself Hinderkin and had made the standard threat on the rangers' lives. Unfortunately, it seemed capable of fulfilling those threats if they weren't careful._**

**_He wasn't impressed and neither were his teammates._**

_**"He smells worse than a vanglash." Kordiin commented.**_

_**He looked at his green clad teammate. "Probably dumber too."**_

_**"You two quit fooling around." Jakol barked. "Now isn't the time to get arrogant."**_

_**"Yeah, Amias is still under the Red Amulet's influence." Lyliea added.**_

_**He nodded, understanding their sentiments completely. He knew Amias was a danger whenever they were out of their headquarters. They had no choice but to fight whatever Kalix sent. The monsters were after them, but if the rangers didn't show then the monsters turned their attention on helpless citizens. The rangers wouldn't allow that. Their duty was to protect the helpless citizens of Jidkin from Kalix and his evil horde no matter what.**_

_**Before they could make a move on the monster a horde of Lizarians appeared. They were reptilian with four fingers and for a thumb they had two-foot long claws. They also had little dragonfly like wings that they could use to hover but not really fly. They were quick too and very aggressive. The team had learned quickly that their bites were venomous as they had almost lost Lyliea in the beginning.**_

_**"You ready?" Jakol asked his team.**_

_**"Ready!"**_

_**"Hyper Force, power up!"**_

_**He looked down at the now familiar dark blue suit and smiled beneath his helmet. He never got tired of morphing or forgot how proud he was when he was chosen. He never thought that he, the youngest of all the ranger hopefuls, would get chosen for a position on the team. He had earned it though. Through trials, tests, and hardships he was chosen to be the Navy Hyper Force Ranger. He had earned his spot and he had never had to prove it to his teammates.**_

_**"Niko, Kordiin, handle the Lizarians. Lyliea and Qual you're with me." Jakol ordered. "Everyone keep an eye out for Amias."**_

_**He nodded and followed Kordiin into the horde of Lizarians. The beasts snarled and hissed as they attacked. He dodged huge claws and took out the angry foot soldiers two and three at a time. Pretty soon he and Kordiin had taken care of all the Lizarians and moved to help their teammates with Hinderkin. He was a tough monster and he was giving them the beating of their lives. Pretty soon they were all reeling, trying to regroup to beat their new foe.**_

_**But things went from bad to worse. The monster didn't let up and before he knew it Lyliea had fallen and wasn't getting back up. Qual was by her side, sobbing at his love's death. Jakol and Kordiin were furiously battling Hinderkin and he was frozen, unable to do anything. Until a pain flashed in his chest and he looked down to see a Lizarian claw sticking into him. He kicked the creature away and stared down at the gaping wound left behind. He never thought the end would come like this.**_

_**"Look out!"**_

_**He spun, but never would have moved fast enough. He saw the energy blast coming at him and knew it was over. Then there was a body blocking the path. He saw a black suit and cried out in despair just before the energy struck his teammate, propelling the older boy into his arms. He caught his teammate but was bowled over by the weight.**_

_**"Jakol, no!"**_

Niko jerked awake breathing hard. What did the dream mean? It couldn't have been real. He was a Psycho Ranger. Kalix was his master not his enemy. Was it the future? Would something happen to turn him against Kalix? It couldn't be. He had sworn himself in the service of Kalix. He certainly didn't remember ever fighting him. Did the dream mean anything at all? He didn't remember any of it. He didn't know anyone named Jakol, Qual, Kordiin, Amias, or Lyliea. Though for some reason they struck a cord deep inside him. He may not have remembered them, but something deep inside told him that he did know them - or had known them at least. If the dream was any indication, then that had been the end of the team. Jakol had saved his life, but he couldn't remember any of it when awake.

He got out of bed and went across his room to the computer console at his desk. He activated the database, but found it locked to the casual viewer. No Lizarians, Kalix's foot soldiers, or guests could access the database. He and the other Psychos hadn't been able to for a long time before they earned the right and were given user names and passwords.

**User: NavyFire**

**Password: xxxxxx**

**Welcome NavyFire.**

Niko ignored the greeting and went straight to the folder labeled Power Rangers. He delved inside, searching through hundreds of ranger teams both past and present. He knew that Kalix desired knowledge, but he never thought the reptile would have every ranger team on file. There was everything from the very first ranger in the universe up to the Quantum Rangers who formed on a planet six galaxies away shortly after the Ninja Storm Rangers. There were simply too many teams for him to search through. He backed out of the folder and went to a search inquiry.

**Search for: Hyper Force Rangers**

ZzZzZ

"Master."

Kalix hissed and rolled over.

"Master."

No response.

"Master Kalix."

Kalix bolted up in his bed and looked around as his mind slowly woke up. He yawned, revealing razor sharp teeth, then glared toward the one that had interrupted his sleep. The armored being bowed respectfully as Kalix climbed out of his bed and approached him.

"What is it Deder?" Kalix demanded. "And it had better be good."

"Master, you asked to be informed if anyone attempted to access the Hyper Force Ranger files." Deder replied with a calm and emotionless voice. "The user name NavyFire attempted to do so only moments ago."

Kalix frowned. "Was he blocked?"

"Yes master, the sentinel program recognized the user name and locked him out." Deder confirmed.

"At least that's good news." Kalix said. He rubbed his eye ridge thoughtfully. "Block the Psychos user names from access to other files. If they inquire tell them the system is having a problem and it will be fixed."

"Yes master, it will be done."

ZzZzZ

Blake ducked and rolled away from Hunter's advance and as his feet came to the ground again he launched himself into a forward flip that put more space between them. Hunter followed quickly kicking at his brother's midsection. Blake caught his foot and ducked as Hunter kicked up with the other one and then immediately backed away from any attempts at a trip or takedown. Hunter flipped to his feet and fell into a fighting stance. The two Thunder Rangers faced off for a few minutes before Blake rushed in with a flurry of movement. Hunter blocked and dodged all attacks while throwing back his own. It was only after a few minutes that Blake found the breath to speak.

"You should give Shane a break, bro."

Hunter growled, but made no other verbal reply. His actions spoke volumes as his furious pace picked up another notch. Blake had to continually block and didn't even get a chance to throw any of his own attacks as Hunter backed him across the mat.

"It wasn't his fault."

"He froze." Hunter snapped, whipping a sidekick straight at Blake's head.

"So what? Don't you think he's probably beating himself up enough without you helping?" Blake replied, dropping below the kick to try a leg sweep.

Hunter jumped over his brother's foot and kicked down at his head, but Blake blocked. "He's not getting any sympathy or support from me."

"Hunter, did it occur to you that we are in the most trouble we've ever been in? Did the thought cross your mind that what we need now is teamwork and not you holding a grudge that isn't yours to hold?" Blake said as he finally got fed up with Hunter's attitude. "We're all in this together, can't you see that? Dustin got hurt and the only one at fault is Psycho Red. The only one who has the right to be mad at Shane is Dustin and somehow I doubt Dustin will blame him."

"If he wakes up..." Hunter retorted.

At that Blake grimaced and Hunter could tell he had hit a nerve. Blake was closer to Dustin than he was and he was being pretty callous about it. He needed to be strong and positive so that Blake could feel strong and positive about things. If Hunter thought things weren't going to work out then that would influence Blake's attitude.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that." Hunter said. "He's going to wake up it's just a matter of when."

Blake nodded, though many negative emotions flickered behind his dark eyes. "Yeah, we all hope."

"But I'm not going to just let Shane off the hook until he proves himself to me." Hunter continued as if Blake hadn't said anything.

"So, your death glares aren't going away anytime soon?"

"Not toward him."

Blake sighed. "Well, can't blame me for trying. Just remember that Dustin is Shane's best friend and vice versa. Think about what this is all doing to Shane."

ZzZzZ

"But Sensei I visited him this day every week." Shane argued as respectfully as he could.

"It is simply too dangerous for you to leave Ninja Ops." Sensei replied. "I know your wish to see Dustin is great, but you will have to wait."

"But Sensei I have to."

"My answer is still no."

Shane looked like he might argue more, his mouth opened to speak, but he caught himself. There was an audible click of his teeth and he relented though he didn't look happy about it. He moved to a corner of the room and sat down to meditate. It was difficult though, he couldn't clear his mind. His need to check on Dustin was too great. He felt a duty to watch over his injured teammate both as a leader and as a friend. Dustin was hurt because of him after all. A fact he couldn't let himself forget.

He had no sooner cleared his mind and settled down than Cam announced that the Psychos were back, minus Psycho Yellow. Obviously the Psychos knew Dustin was out of commission. The remaining rangers morphed and went out to face their enemies. The Psycho Rangers were patiently waiting the arrival of the rangers, not even messing with civilians.

"Haven't you learned your lesson yet?" Crimson mocked.

"If memory serves me, the last two times it was you guys that were sent packing." Tori retorted.

"Mere flukes. I can't help but notice you're missing a ranger."

"Enough talk." Shane snapped. "You want a fight, you've got one."

Shane streaked toward Psycho Red, but his target was ready. Psycho Red blocked Shane's wild attacks and mocked his efforts. Shane's fury was clouding his mind. All he could think about was making Red pay for what he did to Dustin. He didn't care about his own well being and even though Psycho Red was landing more blows he didn't let it faze him. He was beyond pain; the adrenaline gave him the strength to keep going at a furious pace.

Hunter and Blake stayed together as usual forcing Navy and Crimson to try and work together. The two Psychos repeatedly tried to separate the brothers, but their efforts failed. Hunter would fight Navy whenever he could while Blake would take on Crimson. It was obvious the tactic worked best on Navy, who was definitely a little weaker than Crimson. However, they couldn't stay swapped long before the Psychos matched up again and the battle took a turn for the worse. Psycho Crimson was determined to make Hunter suffer for the humiliating defeat he had suffered the last time they fought.

"I'll make you beg for mercy little ranger." Crimson hissed as he blocked Hunter's staff with his shield.

"I don't beg." Hunter growled in reply.

Tori tried to use her Sonic Fin against Psycho Blue, but the female warrior just knocked the attacks away. Psycho Blue threw her own energy attack in reply and Tori was thrown across the battlefield. She managed to flip to her feet only to be slashed multiple times by Blue's cutlass. She tried to dodge and get away to have enough time to pull her sword, but Psycho Blue was relentless. It was obvious that she, like Crimson, had something to prove. There was no taunting and no messing around. Blue meant business.

Navy was almost literally beating Blake into the ground when a wave of pain rushed through his head. He grunted and faltered long enough for Blake to lock his antler around Navy's midsection and send a powerful jolt through him. The attack only added to his pain and Navy quickly tried to back off. Blake followed the advantage using his staff in a quick flurry that had Navy's suit sparking. That only caused him further pain and he was hardly able to defend himself as Blake continued his assault.

ZzZzZ

Kalix frowned as he watched Psycho Navy taking a beating at the hands of the Navy Thunder Ranger. He could tell something was interfering with his Psycho's performance. It wasn't a good sign. He hoped that Lothor didn't notice anything, because he couldn't really do anything about it until the Psychos returned and he wasn't going to pull them out of the battle.

"That runt is losing to his ranger." Psycho Yellow commented as he watched. "Maybe I should go help him."

"You don't even care if he loses." Kalix said, wondering what prompted the idea of helping. He wondered if it was some of the old teamwork coming back.

Psycho Yellow hesitated. Losing would probably mean death. Yellow wasn't sure how he felt about that. He was getting confused about his feelings toward his teammates. Everything had become clear after Jaldia. It had become easy to hate the others and not care about them. But something was changing in his feelings toward Navy, old emotions were coming back. Maybe Jaldia hadn't killed them off completely.

"I'm bored." Yellow finally replied. He didn't want to give anyone the impression that he actually wanted to save Navy.

Kalix eyed him. "Fine, get down there and help him before he gets himself killed."

"Finally, some action!"

ZzZzZ

Psycho Navy grunted as he was kicked firmly in the back. He tried to use the momentum to roll away, but the pain in his head caused him to falter and instead he ended up faceplate down on the ground. When he started to get up someone jumped onto his back and something hard jerked backwards against his throat. Navy gasped and struggled to pull the object away, but his strength was failing him. Between the beating he had taken from Crimson and the one Blake had just doled out he couldn't find the power to get away.

"Hey Psychos! If you don't want to lose one of your own you'll back off!" Blake called out.

The Psycho Rangers paused in their attacks. Red stood over a downed Shane with his saber to the ranger's neck. Crimson had Hunter pinned to a wall with his shield while Blue had Tori by the throat. The three Psychos looked at each other as if silently conferring. Navy sent out a brief mental plea and that was all it took. The three older Psychos began to laugh and laugh at Navy's expense.

"Nice mess you got yourself into Niko." Psycho Blue taunted.

"Maybe we should let the ranger finish you off and be done with your weakness." Crimson added.

Navy couldn't believe what he was hearing. His teammates were going to let him die. He would have given his life for any one of them and they were going to stand by while the Navy Thunder Ranger killed him. The pain in his head increased until it was an intense throbbing made worse by the lack of air.

Yellow energy struck Blake in the back with enough force to dislodge him from Navy's back. With Psycho Yellow's appearance the battle picked up where it had left off. Yellow hadn't scanned Blake's mind, but he was enough of a warrior to more than hold his own against his teammate's foe. He used his scythe with expert precision and had Blake reeling rather quickly.

Crimson used his shield to sandwich Hunter against the wall, pushing with great force against the Thunder Ranger's ribs. Hunter's Crimson Blaster was out of reach as was his Thunder Staff. The shield kept him at just enough distance not to be able to hit the Psycho Ranger. He was helpless and it was not a feeling he liked. No matter how hard he struggled he simply couldn't match Crimson's strength. Crimson slammed him against the wall to knock him senseless and then stepped back several feet.

"Now, this is what happens when you humiliate me." Crimson announced. He hoped the other Psychos were watching so he could send a message. "Psycho Force Rush!"

Crimson surged forward, energy crackling around his shield, ready to deliver a painful blow to the Crimson Thunder Ranger. He was moving faster than his normal streaking ability and he barely noticed that he hit the wrong shade of red. When he became aware of the world again Crimson couldn't believe his eyes.

"You idiot that's my ranger!" Psycho Red roared. "That's the last straw!"

"Déjà vu." Yellow remarked.

Psycho Red was just getting ready to charge when the whole team vanished. Hunter kneeled beside Shane where the red ranger lay moaning in pain. Shane had his arms wrapped around his chest and Hunter feared that was a sign of broken ribs, though if that was all it was then they were going to be lucky. Hunter gently lifted Shane's broken form off the ground and streaked away to Ninja Ops without a word to Blake or Tori.

ZzZzZ

"Well, you're really lucky Shane. Your ribs aren't broken, but they're really busted up." Cam announced. "Your ranger healing abilities should take care of that easily enough, but you still have to rest and take it easy."

Hunter stared down at Shane with a million emotions flitting through him. The main one was annoyance. It had been so much easier to be mad at Shane, but how could he be mad at him now? Shane had just taken an attack meant for him, which he was grateful for, but it threw a wrench in his whole brooding angrily at Shane plan. But more importantly he now owed Shane an apology and everyone knew that wasn't his strong point.

"I'm sorry." Shane said before Hunter could say anything.

Hunter blinked, but showed no other reaction. "What?"

"Well, I don't know what I've done now, but you're glaring at me." Shane elaborated.

"Oh." Hunter murmured. He looked over at his shoulder at Tori and Blake, who took the hint and left the room. Cam rolled his eyes and left as well. Hunter looked back at Shane. "Look, I-I might have been wrong before. You don't have anything to apologize for. Actually...I'm...I'm sorry for what I said. What happened to Dustin wasn't your fault. You were probably hurt and couldn't move."

"No." Shane said. "I did freeze up. I was surprised to see Dustin suddenly in front of me and in the moment I could have saved him I froze up."

"I guess I shouldn't blame you for that either. Psycho Red is the only one to blame. And we'll make him pay."

ZzZzZ

"Another ranger goes down." Lothor laughed triumphantly. He looked at Kalix as the reptile stood before the assembled Psychos. "One in a coma and one seriously hurt. The odds are starting to turn in my favor."

"They've failed to destroy the rangers. I don't see what the big deal is." Zurgane grumbled as he glared at Kalix.

"The rangers are strong. If attacked as a team the rangers would most likely win. They've proven their strength time and time again." Kalix said. He could feel the Psychos bristling at his implication. "However, if we weaken the team one at a time then we have a much better chance at success."

Lothor smiled approvingly. "And that is why you are my second in command, General Kalix."

"What? Sir, that snake has already tried to betray you once." Zurgane argued.

"I realize now the foolishness of my actions. I could never be as great a leader as Lothor." Kalix replied. His eyes glinted with something Zurgane didn't like. "I will do what I can to earn the honor of General once more."

Zurgane made to reply, but Lothor cut him off with a scathing look. The evil space ninja then turned his attention back to Kalix and his assembled warriors. "Keep doing what you're doing. You're doing a great job."

"Thank you sir." Kalix said with a bow. He led the Psychos out of the room.

Zurgane watched them go, feeling jealous rage overtake his senses. He couldn't believe what was happening lately. First Choobo was made General, which ended with enormous failure and the Thunder Rangers working with the Wind Rangers. He knew they should sent the two pests into space to drift for eternity…or maybe into the sun, whichever happened first. Then, Kalix, a traitor from the past showed up with a team of his own, the Psycho Rangers, and they were tearing the rangers apart. He knew it wouldn't last thought. I didn't know exactly what the reptile was up to, but he knew Kalix had some plan to overthrow Lothor. Some things never changed.

"Relax Zurgane. I still don't trust him, but he doesn't need to know that." Lothor said. "Once he and his little pets destroy the rangers I'll turn his own creations on him and then destroy them as well."

"Why destroy them sir? They're powerful warriors."

"Too powerful and too power hungry." Lothor replied. "It won't be long before their internal struggle for leadership turns Crimson and Red into complete power hogs. They'll want more and they'll turn their eyes on me. It's how it always happens. Power corrupts."


	6. Jailbreak

AN: As always thanks for the great reviews. Normally I wouldn't post chapters so close together, but I'm several chapters ahead for once and with such great feedback I hate to keep anyone waiting.

ZzZzZ

The powers were in use. Kale could feel it in his bones. After years of watching over the Gems of Power he felt a special sort of connection to them. The closer he got to Earth the more connected he felt and by the time he was looking at two ships in orbit around Earth he nearly felt overwhelmed. He had never felt them activated before and he was worried that maybe...maybe he wouldn't have the strength to get them back.

"Oh Nick, I could really use your help." Kale murmured to himself as he thought of his deceased white teammate. He touched the white gem on his chest and sighed. "I can't do this without you guys."

_You're never without us Kale. We're here for you always._

Kale knew that he was still linked to them through the gems on his chest. Their spirits could still connect enough to their power to talk to him, but there was nothing like them being physically with him. He couldn't even remember the last time he had been in the presence of friendly beings. Most of his years were spent facing malicious forces trying to steal the gems. The only reprieve he'd had was when the Nova Rangers had come seeking a power boost to fight Dark Specter. When they found of that no one with ranger powers could harness the Gems they'd left and he'd been alone ever since.

He forcefully shoved that train of thought away. He had to focus on the task at hand. He knew about there being rangers on Earth. He was sure they probably weren't the same incarnation he had heard about. Zeo Rangers wasn't it? No, it was the Turbo Rangers. Divatox had tried to get the Gems of Power to use against them. He had heard through the merchants that brought him supplies that some of those rangers had gone to space, but that had been several years ago. He didn't know what happened, but those merchants had stopped bringing supplies and he had stopped hearing about what was going on in the universe.

As out of the loop as he was he knew that the Gems of Power were being used against whatever ranger force was on Earth and as a ranger he couldn't stand by and do nothing. It would be the first time for him getting back into the mix and fighting a serious bad guy again. He wasn't sure he could do it, but he knew he had a duty to try.

ZzZzZ

"Sir, a cloaked Tarrian ship has landed on Earth." Deder announced to Kalix.

Kalix grinned. "That stupid Knight Ranger must think his outdated cloaking device works."

"Well, once he landed and stopped moving we lost track of it sir." Deder replied.

"No matter." Kalix said, unconcerned about the new turn of events. "We don't have to find him. He's after the Gems of Power." He turned to his Psycho Rangers. "Go down and start some trouble. The Knight Ranger will be attracted to you. Capture him and bring him back."

"Yes Master."

ZzZzZ

Things had started to get better between Hunter and Shane and even with Dustin still down the team were starting to pull back together again. Hunter, Blake, and Tori trained harder than ever before while Shane, still recovering from his meeting with Psycho Crimson's shield, and Cam tried to come up with a plan for defeating the Psycho Rangers. It was still clear to them that they just couldn't function the same way without Dustin. And even though they all tried to remain positive it had been several days since Psycho Red put Dustin in a coma and there was still no change.

"There's got to be something we can do to put a dent in those guys." Shane said. "I mean, Blake got an advantage of Psycho Navy."

"Yeah, what did you do anyway?" Tori asked.

Blake shrugged. "One minute he was beating me senseless and the next he looked like he was in pain. I just took advantage of his weakness."

"Strange." Cam murmured and brought up the video footage of the most recent fight with the Psychos.

He tapped a few keys and zoomed in on Psycho Navy. They all watched as Psycho Navy isolated Blake from Hunter and began to thrash him. Blake winced as he watched himself fall to the ground and then frowned as Psycho Navy suddenly stiffened and held his head as if in pain. In the heat of the battle Blake hadn't really noticed, just acted on instinct. The tables quickly changed and it was Navy taking the beating and seemed to be in too much pain to properly defend himself.

"Not that I feel bad for him or anything, but he looks like he was in a lot of pain. More than Blake was dealing." Shane commented. "Could it be a power surge or something?"

"No, his energy readings were stable, unbelievably high, but stable." Cam answered.

Blake frowned and continued to watch the screen. "Y'know...it kind of reminds me of the mind warp Lothor put on us. When Hunter or I would start to get our memories back it physically hurt."

"You don't think Psycho Navy is under some kind of spell? He's as evil as the rest of them." Shane argued.

Blake held up his hands. "Calm down man, I'm just stating a fact."

"He does have a point thought Shane." Hunter said. "The similarities are striking."

"Yeah, that's not the first time something like this has happened. He froze up after Psycho Red hit Dustin with that attack." Tori commented.

"And when he and Psycho Crimson attacked Hunter and I he seemed distracted and it wasn't until Crimson blasted him that he came back to his senses." Blake added.

"So what? Are you saying you're going to take it easier on the guy?" Shane demanded. He didn't really see the point of the argument.

Blake frowned. "No, but we're just saying that everything isn't what it seems with that guy. Maybe we could even break whatever spell he's under. Then we'll have a Psycho Ranger helping us."

"Looks like you'll get your chance Blake." Cam said as the screen switched to show the Psychos causing trouble in downtown. Shane started to call out the morph, but Cam grabbed his arm. "You're not going anywhere with your ribs like that. It wouldn't take much to break a rib and possibly puncture a lung."

"But-."

"Just stay Shane. You won't be much good to us if you go out there and get yourself killed." Tori reasoned.

Shane relented, though begrudgingly, and watched as his teammates morphed and streaked away without him. "Good luck guys."

ZzZzZ

"This time don't let your ranger beat you up." Crimson growled at Navy as they watched their secondary targets arrive. Navy didn't reply and Crimson didn't wait. "Hello again, rangers. Come for another beating?"

"If I recall one of you didn't walk away from the fight last time." Hunter retorted.

Yellow ribbed Navy who turned and punched him in the chest. Before a fight could start Red grabbed Yellow and pulled him back into the line. Crimson ignored it all.

"The same could be said for Red Ranger. Where is he anyway? Hiding out with that yellow punk?" Crimson taunted.

That was enough for Tori who charged at the Psycho Rangers. The other two followed her lead. It was a foolish move. The Psycho Rangers were ready for anything they tried. Yellow and Red stood back and watched for their primary target to make his presence known. Navy was dealing as much damage he could to make up for the humiliating defeat he had suffered last time. The other Psychos wouldn't let him forget that the Navy Thunder Ranger had almost killed him. Yellow wouldn't let him forget that he had saved him. He had been subjected to emergency training, which basically ended up with him "sparring" against the other Psychos. That had just turned into a beating barely hidden behind the disguise of training. They wouldn't have done that unless Kalix ordered it and that worried him.

Red was getting really bored as he watched his teammates have all the fun. He wished that Red Ranger was there so that he could pound the living snot out of him, but the weakling had obviously been hurt by Crimson's attack. That one name made his blood boil almost worse than Red Ranger did. Crimson got on every one of Red's nerves. He couldn't wait for the day when they defeated the rangers and didn't have to stay a team. Then he would take care of the arrogant fool once and for all.

Like Psycho Red, Yellow was wrapped up in his thoughts. He had been ordered to take part in the "training" of Psycho Navy the previous night. He wasn't sure why but he felt bad for what he had done. He could tell that Navy was still hurting from it all. Somewhere in the back of his mind he remembered how they used to be friends. He and Navy had been best friends...Navy had been his first real friend that he could remember.

The rangers were all down, sprawled across the battlefield like fallen soldiers. The Psychos stood ready to deliver finishing blows when suddenly there was a new presence. The Psychos found themselves being beaten by something moving too fast for even them to keep up with. Before any of them knew it they were limping to regroup and a new ranger stood between them and their fallen foes. Their primary target had finally shown his face.

"Ah, you must be the Knight Ranger Kalix told us about." Psycho Crimson said. He eyed the black clad ranger, not impressed in the least. "You don't seem like much to me."

The Knight Ranger crossed his arms over his chest. "You have the Gems of Power and I want them back."

"Come and take them if you can." Crimson sneered.

It was like rushing into a hornet nest. The Knight Ranger pulled his sword and took on all the Psychos at once. He was good, really good, and Blue and Yellow were sent crashing into a wall by powerful kicks. Psycho Crimson tried to bash him with his shield, but the Knight Ranger ducked and Crimson bashed Red instead. The Knight Ranger drove his shoulder into Crimson's chest and slammed the Psycho against a wall before taking a step back to kick him in the chest. Psycho Navy then took his turn. The two seemed pretty evenly matched and as they fought the Knight Ranger couldn't help but feel something different about Psycho Navy.

"You're not like those other fools. You're better than them, better than this." Kale said as he locked weapons with him.

Navy growled and knocked the Knight Ranger back. "Why are you all isolating me?"

"Because I sense a great amount of good in you."

"I'm a Psycho Ranger! I'm not good!"

Kale smirked under his helmet. Oh yeah, the guy was definitely under some kind of spell. One that he knew he could break with the power of his gem. He knocked Navy backwards and used the gem on the forehead of his helmet to zap the Psycho Ranger. The black energy easily overtook Navy and the Psycho cried out in agony as a splitting headache erupted. And then just as quickly as the headache had come it was replaced by peaceful darkness. Kale glanced around quickly at the Psychos to find them still down and when he was satisfied he went to help the other rangers.

"Who are you?" Hunter asked as the strange ranger helped him up.

"I'm Kale. I'm the Knight Ranger."

"And you're coming with us!"

Kale didn't even have time to react as Psycho Yellow burst out of the ground behind him. The Psycho Ranger wrapped one arm around Kale's neck and the other around his stomach. He sent an energy charge through the struggling Knight Ranger and laughed as the body went limp. Hunter moved to help Kale, but Psycho Crimson kicked him away. Yellow vanished with Kale still in his clutches. Red and Blue quickly followed, but Navy was still lying prone where he had fallen. It was a few more seconds before someone above teleported him away as well.

Tori frowned at what just happened. "Something tells me our best chance against the Psychos just got taken away from us."

"Better him than us."

"Hunter!" Blake and Tori both exclaimed.

"Well, it's true!"

Tori rolled her eyes. "Let's get back to Ninja Ops before they do decide to come back for one of us."

ZzZzZ

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the mighty Knight Ranger." Kalix sneered. "Come to reclaim your Gems of Power?"

"A bit late for that." Yellow quipped.

"I'll get them back." Kale growled. He struggled against Crimson and Red who held him in vice like grips. He would have used the gem on his forehead, but they had covered it with a metal headband.

"You can try." Crimson taunted. "But you're only one ranger against the five of us."

"Four at the moment." Kale corrected.

"A minor detail."

"Enough!" Kalix barked. The irritation then melted off his face to reveal a sickening grin. "He's going to answer some questions for me, then maybe I'll hand him over to you. After that if something is left he'll join us."

"No!" The Knight Ranger struggled uselessly.

"For now, take him to a holding cell."

ZzZzZ

It hurt. It hurt to remember who he really was and then think about what he had done. He had become a monster. He'd been ruthless and cold blooded toward a ranger no less. He was sure Jakol would be ashamed of him. All of his teammates would be. Even Amias was never so horrible when he was possessed by the Red Amulet. How would he face them when he joined them? His honor was almost shattered. He clung to it only because he had never attacked the Navy Thunder Ranger when he was in a weakened state.

Honor. It was a very important thing for the people of his planet. It had held their civilization together for thousands of years. If one lost their honor they might as well have been dead. He might as well have been dead. Even in death he would find nothing for him for his people believed that the dishonorable did not pass on to the same place or a good place for that matter. He could only hope that it wasn't too late to save his honor.

"You're awfully quiet lately." Psycho Yellow commented, eyeing his younger teammate.

"Just thinking." Navy replied quickly. Thinking of a way to make up for what I've done.

The other Psychos shared looks even if the helmets hid their faces. They could feel something different about their teammate. He seemed even more withdrawn than usual. He was focused inward on himself rather than observing the rest of the team as he normally would have. In times past this would have garnered some worry from the other Psychos, but instead they reacted quite different.

"Maybe he's thinking about what a pathetic fighter he is." Blue sneered. "Every fight he comes back either hurt or unconscious."

"Or both." Yellow added. He didn't feel completely right about teasing his teammate, but decided it was better to play along than let on to any change of emotions.

"Maybe you need another training session." Crimson spoke up.

"Oh yeah, a beating is just what I need." Navy grumbled. "That way when we face the rangers again I'll be even weaker."

"Are you talking back to me?" Crimson demanded.

Navy growled. Now that he remembered who he was, he was done being a punching bag. He wasn't going to be bullied around by the other Psychos anymore. If they wanted a fight he was going to give it to them. No more being worried about them. Not until their spells were broken too. Well, he wasn't sure they were all under a spell, but he had his suspicions about a few.

"I'm not scared of you Terik." Navy retorted.

Crimson growled fiercely. "That's something I should change."

Navy was ready to defend himself, but he was surprised as Red stepped up to his defense. "Leave the runt alone Terik. Why don't you try picking a fight with someone you can't easily beat."

"But you admit I can beat you."

At that Red bristled and the next thing the other Psychos knew Red and Crimson were fighting again. The fight was as fast and as furious as usual with both trying to prove they were better. Blue left the room thoroughly annoyed by their bickering. Yellow stayed in the room, but he seemed to be the one in his own thoughts. Only Navy seemed to pay attention to what was going on between Red and Crimson. There was his way of tearing the team apart and weakening them. If Red and Crimson really vied for control he was sure that Blue would support Crimson while he would support Red. The rogue factor was Yellow, who he noticed had been acting a little strange lately. He was sure that Yellow wasn't having the same kind of problems as him, but something was going on.

"Psycho Navy, report to the command room."

Red and Crimson broke apart as the announcement echoed through the ship. Navy looked up a little startled and instantly he looked to his teammates for confirmation that he hadn't done anything. Red crossed his arms and looked away, though Navy could almost see the smirk hidden behind the mask. Crimson was outright laughing at him, but Yellow...Navy couldn't see his older teammates face, but they had all become good at reading body language and Yellow was tense. Navy slouched a little and started to head out of the room. He was mildly surprised when Yellow followed, but was internally grateful for the apparent support even if he never would have admitted it.

In the command room Kalix was sitting in his chair waiting for the young Psycho. Deder stood diligently beside his master, a strange pole like device held in his hands. Psycho Yellow hung back by the door, unsure of why he followed in the first place. Navy hesitantly moved to stand in front of Kalix. Inside he was burning with rage and dearly wanted to strangle the reptile, but he knew that it wasn't time for revenge. He would have to deal with whatever Kalix was going to throw at him and wait for the right time to strike. His revenge would be absolute and Kalix would be ready for death by the time Navy got through with him.

"Psycho Navy." Kalix acknowledged the Psycho with a grim nod. "It's become apparent to me as of late that you are holding your team back. Why do you think that is?"

Navy bit back a rude reply and instead settled for a safer one. "I'm not sure, master."

"It's unacceptable." Kalix continued with a cold tone. "Lothor hasn't said anything yet, but if you keep returning from battle in defeat he will take notice and I won't be the only one to suffer."

"I'm sorry Master, I don't know what's wrong with me."

"You always have been the weakest Psycho." Kalix said. He didn't care that he was injuring the Psycho's pride, nor that another Psycho Ranger was in the room to witness it. "Even during training I could see it. However, if you want to stay on the team for any length of time you're going to have to prove you deserve your spot. Any more failures and I'm going to have to start coming up with creative punishments."

Navy shivered at that. How could the reptile be so cold? So cruel? Then he was reminded of all the things Kalix had done to his home planet while attempting to conquer it in Lothor's name. His blood began to boil again and his fists clenched as he visibly fought to keep himself from attacking Kalix.

"However, I can't let this latest defeat go unpunished." Kalix announced.

Without warning Deder lunged forward and rammed the pole against Navy's ribs. As soon as the device touched the Psycho's suit electricity began to crackle through the young man's body. Navy's whole body locked up and he ceased to be able to breathe. He couldn't have screamed if he wanted to, which he didn't, and his heart gave an erratic flutter. As Navy collapsed to the ground, body shuddering from the intense torture, Deder followed him to the ground and continued the assault.

At the door Yellow tensed and growled almost inaudibly. For some reason he couldn't understand he had felt incredibly pissed off with everything Kalix said about his teammate. Then when Deder started to electrocute him Yellow could hardly contain himself. Seeing the younger Psycho go down was almost his undoing. For some reason way beyond his understanding he felt overly protective of Navy. He wanted to kill Deder, literally tear the being to pieces for even thinking of hurting Navy. Several weeks ago he wouldn't have even cared if Navy was killed by his good counterpart, yet suddenly the thought of losing Navy was too much. He thought all those feelings were dead and gone.

"Enough." Kalix said in a cold tone. He turned his attention to Psycho Yellow standing rooted in his spot. "Take your teammate back to his room."

"Yes master." Yellow mumbled.

ZzZzZ

"Alright, does anyone have any idea what that was all about?" Tori asked as the team regrouped at Ninja Ops.

"He said he was the Knight Ranger." Hunter said.

"He said something about Gems of Power." Cam commented. He and Shane had been watching the whole fight. "I think maybe that's the source of the Psycho Rangers' powers."

"Do you know anything about it?" Shane asked.

"No, I'm thinking they're an alien power source, however, they seem to give the Psycho Rangers morphing abilities like your own." Cam explained. "Unlike your technologically created powers, theirs appear to be magical."

"Does that have anything to do with why we can't beat them?" Hunter questioned.

Cam shook his head. "I don't think so. I think they're just more powerful. The energy readings I've been getting from them are off the charts." He paused, looking over the facts. He wasn't sure how the team was going to take his next statement. "I don't think they've tapped half their power yet."

The rangers were silent at that. They shared equal looks of disbelief and worry. Tori was blatantly afraid while the boys tried not to show their own fear. They were all thinking the same thing.

"What chance do we have against them if they can beat us around so badly and not even tap their full potential?" Blake voiced their combined thoughts.

"Do not give up hope yet rangers. There is much we do not know. You can not give up hope or all will truly be lost." Sensei said.

The rangers and Cam looked at him as he made his presence known for the first time in a while. He had been meditating for a long time and it appeared he had finally found what he was looking for. He was now sure that Dustin would eventually be okay and was not alone in spirit. As for the Psychos, he was still unsure of what the outcome would be there, but he knew that the greatest strength his rangers would have was hope.

ZzZzZ

Yellow was surprised when Navy demorphed in his arms as he carried him. He looked down at the younger boy and was struck with how young Navy really looked. His black hair was scruffy and even messier than the last time he saw it. His skin was unnaturally pale, probably from the torture he had endured, and had a light sheen of sweat. Delicate eyelids hid vivid blue-green eyes that could change color with his mood and look right into someone's soul.

Yellow suddenly realized he was staring and tore his eyes away. He was glad that his helmet hid his blush. What was with him lately? First he started to care that Blue was getting an unfair treatment and now he was getting overprotective. And what was it about Navy that he suddenly found attractive? No, not Navy. Navy was a cold hearted Psycho Ranger who cared only about killing the Navy Thunder Ranger, though that person seemed to have died weeks ago. He was attracted to the boy behind the helmet. He was attracted to Niko. The feelings were coming back. The feelings from before Jaldia. And he realized quickly that he was staring again.

"Get a grip." He snarled at himself.

"Talking to yourself are we Zadan?"

Yellow looked up and glared at Red through is visor. "Better conversation than with you."

"What happened to the runt? Master teach him a lesson?"

"Maybe if you cared enough about your teammates you'd have gone with him." Yellow snapped in reply.

Red growled. "You're getting awful lippy."

"And you're not the leader anymore."

"We'll see how long that lasts." Red snarled. "And when I'm leader again you'll show me more respect."

"Let's not jump the gun shall we?" Yellow sneered in reply.

He then shoved past Red and continued down the hall until he got to Navy's personal room. He hesitated a moment. Their rooms were private and they didn't allow each other inside. It was the one sacred rule among them. Their rooms were off limits to each other. Yellow looked down at Navy...Niko...and frowned. Navy would not be pleased if he went into the boy's room even if it was just to put him to bed. After a moment more of hesitation Yellow turned and went to his own room and laid Niko on the bed. He stared at the boy for a second too long before pulling the covers over his teammate's body. He then quickly left the room.

_What am I getting myself into?_

ZzZzZ

"Rumors say you can't demorph. Is it true?"

Kale glared fiercely at Kalix even though his helmet hid it. He was shackled to a table in the middle of a brightly-lit examination room, or at least that's what he thought it looked like. He half expected them to try and dissect him. They'd have to demorph him first and he wasn't going to let that happen. Because he had the morphing power of an entire team of rangers nothing could force him to demorph, at least, nothing he had encountered yet.

"Of course it's not. I have to go to the bathroom too y'know." Kale grumbled. He figured he'd answer unimportant questions, just to give the reptile thing hope that he'd answer more important ones.

"You know more about the Gems of Power than anyone else. You're going to answer my questions." Kalix said confidently. He couldn't see Kale's smirk or he might have been upset. "How do they work?"

"Like I know." Kale retorted. "I just protected them. I didn't think anyone could actually access their power."

"Yes, well it wasn't easy." Kalix said. "And they can't tap into it fully. How do they tap into the full potential of the Gems?"

Kale laughed outright. "Snake, even if I knew I wouldn't tell you."

"You're lying." Kalix snarled. "Tell me what I want to know."

Kale remained silent. Kalix turned to Deder. The white armored being stepped forward and drove a pole like device into the Knight Ranger's rib area. Instantly electricity crackled through the ranger's suit. Kale bit back a scream of pain as his body tensed unbearably tight and he couldn't breathe. After several long agonizing minutes the torture stopped.

"Now, how do we reach the Gems' full potential?" Kalix demanded.

"You can't." Kale gasped out.

"Liar!"

Kale barely got a whimper out before the torture started again. His jaw clenched painfully hard and he could almost swear his teeth were cracking. He struggled to breathe and felt his world growing dim when suddenly the pain was gone again.

"Now, answer my question."

"You can't...tap." Kale mumbled.

Kalix growled in frustration, but decided to ask another more pressing question. "All the information I've gathered points to there being more Gems. Where are they?"

"Don't know."

"Why must you continue to lie to me?"

"Not lying."

"Bullshit!" Kalix roared and swung a hard punch into Kale's ribs. The suit sparked fiercely. "Where are the other Gems?"

"Lost. Missing." Kale muttered.

"You're lying again."

"Not..."

"Keep lying ranger. Just wait until you're demorphed and then the real torture will start."

ZzZzZ

Navy woke up with a jolt and immediately knew he was not in his room. He feared he had gotten drunk and stumbled into the wrong room and the owner was going to kill him. He highly valued and respected the rule about not going in anyone else's room and apparently he had broken it. He sat up quickly and moved to get out of the bed when suddenly a hand was on his chest. He nearly yelped with shock and he realized with a jolt that he was not morphed.

"Lay down you idiot."

Navy relaxed a little at Yellow's voice. As cruel, sarcastic, and evil as it could sound at times, at the moment Yellow's voice was smooth and gentle. It was something Navy had not heard in a long time. Too long.

"What happened?" Navy asked.

"That little punk Deder used his electric pole thing to zap you unconscious." Yellow replied.

Navy looked around a little bit, his eyes capable of seeing in the dark after much training. "Is this your room?"

"Yeah." Yellow replied, once more glad his helmet hid his face. "I didn't want to enter your room without your permission, even to put you in there."

Navy was a little shocked and slightly amused by Yellow's statement. "I wouldn't have been mad."

"Before I wouldn't have thought twice, but after-I didn't want to break that last bit of trust between us." Yellow answered.

Navy hesitated, unsure of what emotions he was getting from Yellow's voice. It almost sounded like he was talking to Zadan again. Not the Yellow Psycho Ranger, the crazy lunatic, the killer that he had become. It was like he was in his best friend's room again talking to him like they used to. But he knew that was impossible. Nothing was the same.

"Is that the last bit of trust we have?" Navy asked quietly as if afraid to tread on shaky ground.

Yellow hesitated. He wasn't sure how to answer that. He wasn't sure what he was feeling anymore. "I don't know." He looked away from his demorphed teammate, unwilling to see the reaction to his words. "If you're feeling strong enough...maybe you should go."

"Oh." Navy sighed a little disappointed. He had hoped they were connecting again.

The one thing Kalix had given him was a group of friends. Even under a spell he couldn't brush off what he'd had with the other Psychos in the beginning. They had trained together for several years, not even having a specific target, and it had been a bonding time. He was under a spell, but some part of him still looked fondly on what had been a relatively peaceful part of his life after being captured by Kalix.

Navy slowly sat up and pulled himself out of the bed. He glanced briefly at Yellow and seeing the Psycho looking the other way, he headed out of the room. He didn't go to his room though. He had other plans. As he passed through the semi lit halls he morphed again, feeling the raw power surge through his veins again. Then, just before going around a corner he tapped his power and changed the color of his suit...to crimson. Someone would be getting in trouble and it was not going to be him.

He made a brief stop at the armory and picked up an electro-disk and tucked it into the back of his belt. Then he continued his trip down the hall to the holding cells. Around the corner he found the doorway into the hall of holding cells and the two Lizarians that guarded it. Two Lizarians were no match for most of the beings on the ship, but their unknown ways of communication were very helpful and if someone tried to cause trouble every Lizarian on the ship would know.

"I'm here to see the ranger." Navy said in Crimson's voice.

"Which one?" One of the Lizarians hissed.

"The Knight Ranger." Navy replied, somewhat shocked to learn there were more rangers held prisoner there than he knew.

The other Lizarain narrowed its yellow eyes. "We have orders-."

"Try and stop me."

The two Lizarians parted and Navy strolled in quickly. He knew he wouldn't have long before all the Lizarians on the ship knew, then again, they were going to be looking for Crimson when all of this was over with. He passed several holding cells, looking through the red shields to the prisoners within. It didn't take him long to find his target. The Knight Ranger was the only one still morphed, but even so he looked worse than before. Navy looked at the control panel controlling the door and smirked. It was a bad thing for Crimson that Navy was observant.

**Username: DarkCrimson**

**Password: xxxxxx**

**Access Granted DarkCrimson**

Navy smirked again and watched as the red shield flickered off. Inside the room the Knight Ranger sat up from the cot and looked intently at his visitor. Navy stepped inside and crossed his arms. He knew there were security cameras, he had to make everything look convincing.

"Not so tough now are you?" _I've come to get you out._

"Not that it was any of your doing." Kale frowned and then a light bulb went off. He realized he probably wasn't actually talking to Psycho Crimson.

_We need to make this look good. _"I didn't say it was. I just hope master lets me have a go at you." _There's an electo-disk ducked into my belt. Use it on me. There are two guards just outside the door, surprise them._

"Try it if you want." Kale snarled. He had figured out which one of the Psychos he was really talking to. Suddenly he saw a collection of images flash in his mind. He was being given a layout of the ship.

_To access the transporter you will need a username and password. Use: DarkCrimson with the password KILLER. You'll have to be quick. Within moments of attacking those two Lizarians the whole ship will know you're free and I'll have to play along for the hunt. _"You arrogant little ass. I could squish you with my pinky and thumb."

"Again I say try if you want." Kale replied, trying to keep track of the mental messages along with the verbal speech. How Navy was doing both at the same time was any wonder. "You're all bark and no bite."

Navy growled just like Crimson would have and lunged at Kale. The move was stupid, faulty, and totally what his Psycho leader would have done. Kale was ready and ducked out of the way, grabbing the electro-disk. Navy spun and tensed just before the electro-disk connected. He cried out in agony as blinding pain rippled through his whole body. His knees buckled and he collapsed to his hands and knees. His ears were ringing, but he felt Kale leave the room. He also felt Kale hesitate, looking at the other prisoners.

_Later. _Navy murmured, his mental voice weak. _Go._

Navy collected himself as quickly as he could and stumbled out of the cell. He looked with extreme satisfaction at the limp bodies of the Lizarians. He then turned and headed in the opposite direction he knew Kale had gone and when he was sure no one was around he changed his suit back to the right color. He smirked to himself. Crimson was going to be in biiiiig trouble.


	7. Meet the Knight

"I'm gonna live, right?"

Dustin looked over at his lion companion questioningly. They had both been silent for a long time. He was trying to make sense of everything.

"Your part in the world is not over little cub." Lion replied. "You must have strength and courage, but most of all you must have hope."

"What if it seems hopeless?" Dustin questioned, in a moment of total sincerity.

Lion's eyes seemed to smile. "Then that is the most important time to have hope."

"Isn't that, like, contradictory or something? And yes I do know what that means. I'm not a complete idiot."

"I think I know that little cub - slow and a little thick occasionally, but not an idiot." Lion replied with a loving tone. "And no it's not contradictory. When all _seems_ hopeless it does not mean that it _is_ hopeless."

For a moment Dustin was silent as he took in the lion's words. Then a light bulb lit up and he smiled. "I got it. We supply the hope, right? It's only when we give up that all hope is really lost."

Lion smiled as best the animal could, but did not reply. Dustin smiled proudly and his ego gained a boost. He knew without Lion's spoken confirmation that he had been right or at least on the right track. He looked out over the savanna and felt his spirits sink.

"How long will I be here?"

Lion snorted. "You're unconscious little cub. You'll be here until you wake up...or you let this little dream go."

"Where will you go?" Dustin asked, looking over at his companion again.

"I'll be with you, remember? I'll always be with you."

"That kinda makes you sound like a stalker, dude."

Lion rolled his eyes. "I'm bonded with you. It wouldn't be considered stalking."

"Oh."

"I suppose our deep, meaningful conversation is over now?"

"We were having a deep meaningful conversation?"

"Never mind."

ZzZzZ

Things were starting to get incredibly tense in Ninja Ops and not just between certain members of the team. Everyone was starting to feel a little claustrophobic as well as irritated with the lack of space. Being stuck in an underground secret ninja hideout with the same people for several days was beginning to take its toll on the occupants. Cam could barely say anything that wasn't sarcastic or a little rude while Shane was going absolutely stir crazy. Having an affinity for the element of air, he felt trapped, which they were, and it was beginning to be too much to deal with. Something had to give and Hunter feared it would be his sanity.

Cam was going over power readings from the Psychos as well as battle footage. He knew there had to be a clue somewhere as to how to defeat the Psycho Rangers. He was just looking over the readings of Psycho Red when he had used his powerful attack on Dustin when the screen suddenly changed. It took him a minute to realize he was looking at a ranger stumbling through the forest.

"Rangers." He called out. The rangers had been lightly sparring, but stopped at the sound of Cam's voice. "The Knight Ranger is back on Earth."

"We'd better get to him before the Psychos do." Shane said.

"No, you stay." Cam told the leader of the rangers. "You're still not cleared for action."

"It's a simple retrieval." Shane argued.

"And if the Psychos show up it'll turn into more."

Shane opened his mouth to argue again, but Sensei cut him off. "You must stay Shane, but be prepared to help if the situation requires it."

"Yes Sensei." Shane relented reluctantly.

The other three quickly streaked away and found that the Knight Ranger was actually rather close. He seemed to know where he was going, but was having a hard time getting there. He tensed when they appeared in front of him unmorphed and none of them stopped to think he didn't know who they were.

The Knight Ranger straightened the best he could. "You...kids."

"We just streaked in from no where. Do you really think we're normal kids?" Hunter commented, somewhat gruffly.

"No, you're rangers." Kale murmured. "I...have much to...share with you."

"Not here." Tori said. "We'll take you back to Ninja Ops first."

Kale silently agreed but before he could take two steps he nearly collapsed. Blake and Hunter rushed to his side to help him stand. Even with their help his knees gave out and Hunter picked him up and carried him in a fireman's carry. The team then streaked back to Ninja Ops where Hunter sat the Knight Ranger at the table. Kale seemed to gain a little strength and also seemed to catch his breath for the first time since his escape.

He felt safe in Ninja Ops and decided to demorph. After all, the other rangers were demorphed and he decided to show a little respect. He reached internally and flipped a switch that instantly caused his suit to crackle and then dematerialize. He was visibly no older than Cam. He had short unruly reddish blond hair and big bright expressive purple eyes. It was within those eyes that they could see his true age. Hundreds of years of turmoil and wisdom shone within. None of the rangers felt it was their place to question him about his age though; there were more important things to discuss.

Kale gave the group a small smile. "I imagine you have a lot of questions. But first I feel it's only fair I know your names."

The room went through names and an explanation of the guinea pig for a Sensei. Then it was chaos as everyone, except the wise guinea pig, tried to ask the Knight Ranger questions all at the same time. After a moment they grew silent and waited as Kale gave them a small amused smile. When no one spoke Kale decided to just pick one of them and pointed at Cam.

"What are the Gems of Power?"

Kale smiled slightly. "I knew that would be the first question. The Gems of Power tap directly into the Morphing Grid, the source of most Rangers' powers. Unlike morphing devices that only harness a small amount, the Gems of Power draw directly from the Morphing Grid. Originally there were twenty and they were created by the original Morphin Masters in an attempt to create a power strong enough to stop Dark Specter. Initially there Gems were a success and the Morphin Master began creating more, but soon it became obvious there were major problems. So, the Morphin Mastersgave the Gemsto Protectorsto hide away so that no one could use them."

"What kind of problems?" Cam asked.

"Some didn't survive the coupling, a few went completely insane, and others were completely corrupted by the power and became as evil as the forces they originally set out to stop."

"Absolute power corrupts absolutely." Tori murmured.

"Exactly, so it was deemed that they should be hidden and protected so that no one, good or evil, could attempt to use them." Kale said.

"Wait a minute, you said thousands of years ago. You weren't the original protector were you?" Shane asked with wide eyes.

Kale laughed, his purple eyes sparkling. "No, I'm the fourth protector."

"How old are you?"

"Old enough." he replied mysteriously. "I've been at this ranger thing a long time."

His statement was met with silence for a long moment. It was Sensei Watanabe who finally broke the silence. "Kale, is there anything you can tell us about the Psycho Rangers?"

Kale nodded and to the surprise of everyone he pulled a disk out of thin air. Sensei Watanabe was the only one not clearly shocked and Kale imagined that Sensei did not often show his surprise to his students. He smiled sheepishly and assumed that was something else he would have to explain.

"When I escaped I didn't have much time to do anything, but I did manage to download files on the Psycho Rangers onto that disk." Kale said. "I haven't had a chance to look at it, so whatever is on there is all I can share with you." He decided to leave out the part about Navy helping him. If Navy was going to convincingly play the role of bad guy the rangers would have to treat him as such. "Do you have something to read that?"

Cam eyed the disk as he took it from the Knight Ranger. It was the same size and shape as CDs from earth, but one glance at it and he knew it was made of completely different materials. He couldn't be sure what would happen if he put it in his computer and he couldn't afford to lose programming.

"I don't think so." Cam finally said.

Kale nodded. "Okay, you do have portable computers, right?"

"We call them laptops."

"Well, bring that laptop with you to my ship and we'll transfer the data." Kale suggested.

"Alright, but not yet. You look like you need to rest." Cam replied, stepping in as medic.

Kale smiled softly and nodded. "I do, but there are more important things. We have a common enemy that we need to stop and our best hope is on that disk." He took the disk back from Cam and reached into empty air where the disk seemed to disappear just as it had appeared moments ago. "I landed not far from here. I couldn't pick up on your exact location, but I could pick up residual power traces."

"Wait, you have a ship here on Earth?" Hunter spoke up for the first time.

Kale rolled his eyes. "How do you think I got here? It's not a big ship...more like a shuttle...but it does have cloaking capabilities. Obviously not good enough if Kalix and his goons knew I was here."

The rangers shared a confused look at that. Blake spoke for them all. "Who's Kalix?"

"The reptile thing that took a cheap shot at me and managed to get away with my Gems of Power." Kale said, his voice turning dark and angry. "I fought off armies to protect those things and then one little reptile thing strolls in, slaps some electric device on me, and strolls off with the Gems."

"So this is a revenge thing for you." Hunter surmised.

Kale shook himself out of the dark place he had been headed. "No, not entirely. My duty is to the Gems until the new Protector comes forth. Then I'll be free."

ZzZzZ

"Of all the arrogant...foolish...stupid...grrrrrrr!" Kalix was too angry to even form a complete sentence. He was pacing back and forth, but his eyes stayed glued to his source of irritation.

Crimson stood before his master, head bent with submission and secretly terrified of the seething General. He didn't know what he had done to make Kalix so mad, but he knew he was going to pay for it. Even before the insults had started Crimson knew he was in trouble. They never got called separately to the command room unless it was to be punished.

"Master, what is it I have done to displease you?" Crimson asked a slight waiver in his voice.

If it was possible Kalix seemed to grow even angrier. Without warning he lashed out with his telekinesis and threw Crimson across the room into the hard unforgiving wall. His eyes flashed fiercely.

"Don't play innocent with me! You went and saw the Knight Ranger!" Kalix barked.

Crimson shoved himself to his feet and ignored the throb in his head. "Master, you can't be blaming his escape on me. My lord, I was weight training."

"The security camera clearly shows you going in to see the Knight Ranger." Kalix said his voice deadly calm. "Your username and password were used to drop the shield and the Knight Ranger used both to transport to Earth. Now, how do you suppose that happened?"

"Master."

Crimson was cut off as an unseen force slammed him against the wall again. Kalix stormed over to the Psycho's prone form and picked him up by the throat. Crimson struggled briefly before realizing it would only get him into more trouble. Kalix rammed his free fist into the Psycho's rib area, but the suit absorbed most of the blow.

"He escaped because of your stupidity! I should strangle you right now and choose someone new to be my Crimson Psycho Ranger. Someone with less ego and more dedication."

"Master, there is a distinct possibility that I was framed." Crimson ground out before he could think about it. Some part of his inner mind screamed at him for implicating one of his teammates. The other part was glad he wouldn't be the only one punished. "When morphed we can change our suit colors and manipulate the voice outputs to change our voices."

Kalix released Crimson and took a step back, eyeing the leader of the Psycho Rangers warily. He wasn't sure if he approved of Crimson's tattling as a way of saving himself. It showed he didn't have any commitment to his team, felt no responsibility to them. It was disheartening in a way, but Kalix didn't dwell on it. They had bigger fish to fry apparently. There was some things about their new power Kalix didn't know and apparently that was going to have to change.

"So you think one of your teammates framed you?" Kalix questioned. "Who?"

"I don't know master. Da—Psycho Red maybe?" Crimson suggested. He loved the idea of getting his rival into trouble.

Kalix shook his head. "No, Psycho Red would never betray me like that just to get at you."

Crimson inwardly growled at his rival's ability to thwart him without even knowing it. He would get rid of Red one way or another.

"I want the perpetrator brought to me Psycho Crimson. You will find out who did it or you will pay the consequences." Kalix growled into the Psychos faceplate.

"Master...not that I believe in the whole team aspect...but."

"You guys haven't been a team since Jaldia." Kalix grumbled. "That was my mistake. I still don't know what went wrong down there, but I know I'm getting tired of seeing the results."

Crimson inwardly grimaced at the mention of Jaldia. The planet had been the site of their final month of training. He had pushed the whole thing to the back of his mind. He never wanted to think about it. It was so much easier to just hate than to try and actually understand what had gone wrong. So much of it was a blur that he wasn't even quite sure what had happened anymore. He just knew he didn't want to care. He hated Red with a passion and nothing was going to change that.

"In any case, I want you to keep an eye out for strange behavior in your teammates." Kalix continued. "You have two days to find out who did it or it's your head. Got it?"

"Yes Master."

"In the meantime, to make up for this send Psycho Yellow to Earth. Tell him to finish off the Yellow Ranger while he's still down." Kalix ordered. "If they're going to be foolish enough to leave him in the open they'll have to suffer the consequences."

"As you wish, Master."

ZzZzZ

"You are going to explain your ability to pull things out of thin air, right?" Cam asked as he, Kale, Hunter, and Blake walked through the forest.

"Well, I can't explain the details. That's all techno-babble to me that Max always tried to get me to understand." Sadness flashed in his eyes for a brief moment, before being carefully covered up. "Basically, Max set up these…personal subspace pockets for each ranger. He modified the morphers and I can access it with a thought. It came from the need to carry medical supplies, extra weaponry, and other things with us when both morphed and unmorphed."

"How is that even possible?"

Kale shrugged. "Like I said, most of what Max ever said went right over my head. All I know is I have a subspace pocket right here," he pointed to a space in front of him, "and it can hold anything I put in it. I just have to think about which item I want to pull out and that's what I grab."

"So there's a mental factor to it. Amazing."

"Most of my people's technology has a mental aspect to it."

Hunter and Blake shared an amused smile at Cam's reaction. They were used to him getting excited about technological stuff, but it never failed to amuse them. They listened as he continued to badger Kale with questions about the subspace pockets. At the same time they kept an eye out for trouble. Lothor hadn't really done anything since the Psycho Rangers arrived, though they assumed the Psychos were working for him.

"Stop." Kale's command forced them all to freeze.

The Knight Ranger reached into his subspace pocket and pulled out a remote control of some sort. He pushed a few buttons and instantly the group found themselves inside the ship. Kale looked over his shoulder at his guests and grinned at their stunned expressions. The mirth faded away as a wave of dizziness forced him to close his eyes and hold on very tightly to a console. It passed quickly, but reminded him of what he was doing. He reached into his "pocket" and pulled out the disk with the Psycho Rangers information on it. He went to the front of the ship and sat in the pilot's seat and slipped the disk into a slot on the console. Instantly, the files began to open on the main screen and it took him a moment of sorting before he could properly view them. There seemed to be a file on each Psycho Ranger as well as a group assessment. There were also lots of files that were obviously messages that had been sent between Kalix and someone called Dareth about the Psycho Rangers. He closed all those files to go through later.

"Somehow I didn't think they would be human inside those suits." Hunter mused as pictures of the Psycho Rangers unmorphed popped up.

Blake shot his brother a confused look. "You beat Psycho Crimson unconscious, how didn't you know?"

"I wasn't exactly paying attention." Hunter replied. "I wasn't seeing anything really."

"Well, they're human all right." Kale said. "How they can harness the power of those Gems is beyond me, but they're normal humans just like you and me." He typed a few things into the computer and all the files closed. He then turned to Cam. "Pull out that...laptop of yours and let's get these files transferred."

It took them about ten minutes to figure out how to hook the ship computer up to the laptop and after that it was another five minutes to get the transfer started. While that was going on Blake and Hunter looked around the ship a little bit, at Kale's okay of course, and were completely amazed by just about everything they found. It wasn't that big really in comparison to Lothor's ship, but it was big enough to have personal quarters for Kale, some sort of chamber in a room just behind the cockpit, and a hanger at the back of the ship. What they found in the hanger is what really got them excited and they immediately bustled back to the cockpit.

"Dude, what kind of vehicle is that in the hanger." Blake asked.

"More importantly, can we ride it?"

Kale looked up from the computer console and over his shoulder at the two brothers. For a moment he didn't know what they were talking about. Then it struck him like a blow tot he gut. On his planet they had called it a Runner. They were four wheeled vehicles, two wheels up front and two in back, with the wheels side by side. All the rangers had them in order to get to emergencies quickly. Shadow Rogue had destroyed them all, except Nick's and Kale had kept it. The thought of Nick brought tears to the back of his eyes and he had to force them back down.

"No, you can't ride it." Kale growled. "And if you touch it..."

The brothers shared a look as Kale let the threat hang in the air. As much as the vehicle called to them they decided it was in their best interest not to mess with it. They didn't know Kale very well and weren't sure what exactly he would do if they did do something. Before they could say or do anything else the computer beeped letting them know the transfer was done. Cam and Kale began undoing the connections they had made between the two computers. While they were doing that Hunter thought of something else he wanted to ask about.

"What is that chamber thing back there?"

Kale stopped what he was doing and looked at Hunter once more, his brows furrowed. For a moment he didn't answer as he struggled to think of what the Crimson Ranger was talking about. His eyes lit up as he figured out what the ranger meant.

"That's the healing chamber." Kale replied. His eyes burned again at the thought of the last healing chamber he had been around. But he banished the thought from his mind. "It's effective against most injures, but the more serious they are the less chance of it working. It won't save someone who is an inch from death."

The other three young men looked at each other instantly. They all had the same thought. _Dustin._

"One of our friends, the Yellow Ranger, was injured by the Psycho Rangers. Could we use your healing chamber to heal him?" Blake asked.

"Of course." Kale said without hesitation. "Go get him and bring him here. I'll transport you in when you get close enough. That'll give Cam and I chance to look through some of the files."

Blake and Hunter agreed and Kale transported them off the ship. He didn't want to offend them by telling them he didn't want them to know the exact location of his ship. The range of his transporter was 35 yards in every direction meaning that there was still plenty of space for it to remain hidden in the relatively big field he'd landed in. It was just safer for him that way so that the rangers couldn't lead the enemy to his ship.

Cam looked at his companion. "Let's get to work."

ZzZzZ

Yellow stared down at his counterpart. It felt wrong somehow to kill the ranger while he was completely defenseless. He was angry too. He wanted to get a chance to beat his ranger in a fight, not kill him while he was in a coma. It wasn't even a coma he had put him in either. Psycho Red's energy attack had done the job, though Yellow had softened the ranger up a bit. It wasn't fair.

"Well, might as well get this over with. Orders are orders." Yellow murmured.

The Psycho Ranger reached out to snap the boy's neck, but just as his fingers touched the skin Hunter and Blake walked in. There was no hesitation between seeing the Psycho Ranger and their actions. Yellow saw them, but didn't have time to react before they threw themselves at him. Of course, they barely hurt him since he was morphed, but it forced him to back away from his target. He watched the two rangers place themselves between him and his target and growled deep in his throat.

"Back off." Blake snarled.

"Please, what are two going to do to stop me?" Psycho Yellow laughed, falling into evil bad guy mode.

As if to answer him two streaks, one red and one blue, herald the appearance of the Red and the Blue Rangers, both morphed. Without a word the two rangers launched themselves at Yellow, who backed away under the onslaught. He blocked a punch from the Red Ranger, only to receive a kick to his chest from the Blue Ranger. He ducked and dodged away from them both in order to collect himself, but they were persistent in their need to protect the fallen Yellow Ranger.

"You're not touching him." Shane growled with determination. He had failed Dustin once and he wasn't doing it again.

Yellow grunted as a kick knocked him backwards into the wall. He ducked a swipe at his head and lunged toward Dustin's bed. Everything seemed to go into slow motion and he saw the boot flying at his face too late. He felt his teeth rattle at the impact and found himself slouched against the wall while his head spun. Before he could collect himself he was transported away.

"Nice kick." Blake complimented.

"Thanks." Tori replied. She looked over her shoulder to see a small crowd had gathered outside. "Now that Psycho Yellow is gone we'll be going. But rest assured if he returns to try and finish what they started we'll be back."

Hunter spoke up quickly. With the doctors watching there was no way they could just walk off with Dustin now. He had to get Shane to take Dustin or else they'd have to come back again.

"Wait, don't you guys have a healing chamber or something?" Hunter asked.

Shane and Tori exchanged looks. "Nooo..."

"Don't you know somebody who does? Somebody new maybe..." Hunter insisted. He hoped they got the message.

A light bulb seemed to click on over Tori's head and she caught on. "Yeah, we know someone."

"We do?" Shane asked her. She elbowed him in the chest. "Oh yeah, we do. And since he was injured by the Psycho Rangers it only seems fair for us to help."

"Doctors," Tori turned to address the crowd. "We're going to take the boy with us to be healed. Rest assured he'll be fine."

None of the gathered crowd could say anything, but there seemed to be an air of agreement. A few nurses gathered their wits and came in to help unhook Dustin from the myriad of machines he was connected to. When that was done Shane stepped up and lifted Dustin carefully out of the bed. Then with a flash of their respective colors the two morphed rangers streaked away. Blake and Hunter quickly left as well leaving a stunned crowd behind to try and figure out what had just happened and why.

ZzZzZ

"Your Psycho Rangers seem to be on a losing streak General."

Kalix winced under Lothor's harsh glare, even if it was through a viewscreen. "They just need to catch their footing."

"No excuses General. I want results." Lothor snapped. "Figure out what's going wrong and fix it. I'm tired of failure Kalix."

"Yes sir, I imagine you are."

"Are you saying I fail a lot!"

Kalix ducked his head to hide a smirk, but quickly wiped the look off his face. "No sir, of course not."

"Good. Just make sure there's no more failure Kalix. I'm leaving the Psychos in your leadership, but that's only as long as I see fit."

Kalix again had to hide a smirk. The Psychos would never listen to Lothor. If he tried to control them they would probably kill him. He had no idea how much power he was messing with.

"Of course sir. I'll try not to disappoint you anymore."

The communication was cut on his end and Kalix spun to glare at Psycho Yellow. He took several menacing steps toward the Psycho and felt inwardly satisfied as Yellow took one step back. Intimidation was very important in the game he was playing. The Psychos still thought he was more powerful and as long as they thought that they would listen to him and follow his command, but if they knew the truth...he didn't want to think about what would happen then.

"What took so long? You had plenty of time to kill the boy." Kalix rumbled.

"Master, I."

"Shut up! I don't want to hear your excuses. Hasks benes plsna klro...you Psychos are really starting to disappoint me." Kalix said, briefly lapsing into his native tongue before catching himself. "You better pass on the warning that things had better change."

"Yes Master."

ZzZzZ

Cam glanced up as Kale transported the whole ranger team onto the ship. He felt a strange sort of relief to see Dustin again and knew he would feel even better after the healing chamber was done with him. He looked at Kale as the Knight Ranger got up and led the rangers to the healing chamber. Cam got up, because he wanted to see the thing in action, and joined them just in time to see Kale pull the side open. Shane seemed to hesitate a moment before stepping forward and putting Dustin down inside. Kale shut the chamber and latched it closed before pushing a big green button. The chamber issued a soft hum to ensure Kale that it was working. Cam felt slightly disappointed. He had hoped to see some magnificent light show or something, but all he got was a hum.

"I have to admit I was expecting more." Hunter said, expressing Cam's disappointment.

"What do we do now?" Shane asked.

Kale sighed. "Now you wait. His injuries didn't look too severe, but...like most of my planet's technology there is a mental aspect to it. He has to be ready to come back or it just won't work. So, in the end it's all up to him."


	8. Blue Down

Cam blinked at the screen and bit back a yawn. He was tired and his eyes hurt from staring too long, but he was completely wrapped up with his research. Actually, he was finding it really fascinating and a little disturbing what he was learning about the Psychos. He was going through the files on the individual Psychos and was surprised by how detailed they were. He had been reading for the better part of the night but had only gotten through two of the Psychos. As it was he was only halfway through with reading the file on Psycho Red.

**Name: Dariv Adin**

**Orgin: Taurrros; South Continent; Dadagon City **(He noted with interest that Psycho Crimson was from the same planet only from the North Continent)

**Age: 23**

**Status: Active; Red Psycho Ranger**

He noted again that Hadis was mentioned as some sort of proving ground. Apparently a large number of potential recruits were sent. It didn't go into much detail, but it was mentioned that the number of survivors was less than half of what had been sent originally. That gave Cam a shiver.

From there it started to sound like a military report. Whoever wrote it had observed Dariv after he had survived Hadis. There was everything from how he first reacted to his teammates to what he did when faced with a problem. The writer seemed to have been impressed with his problem solving skills and ability to take charge when things got tough. However, the writer seemed concerned about Dariv's lack of interaction with the rest of the team. After that were reports of Dariv passing all the tests as well as how he helped lead the team through the first part of training. The concern about his unwillingness to connect with the rest of the team was expressed constantly, but in everything else Dariv impressed the writer.

"Don't you think it's time to give it a rest?"

Cam jumped at the sound of the voice and spun in his chair to glare at Shane. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"I was thinking the same thing about you." The air ninja retorted.

Cam sighed. "Someone has to find something to use against the Psycho Rangers."

Shane looked like he might argue, but instead he gave up and walked over to stand beside Cam. Cam looked up at him like he had grown another head to which Shane just grinned. "I can't sleep so I might as well help you."

"Shane."

"It's either that or I wake your father and let him know you haven't slept in the past 24 hours."

Cam glared, but relented under the threat. The two turned their attention back to the information on the screen. There was a lot on Psycho Red. Whoever wrote the report went into detail about everything, but it was his interaction with Psycho Crimson that seemed to have the writer the most concerned. The writer noted that their past conflict was still getting in the way, but strangely they had worked together to survive Hadis.

There was a brief mention of a place called Jaldia and then it seemed like the whole tone of the team seemed to change. It was noted that the relationships that had been growing between Psycho Red and the rest of the team, minus Crimson, had seemed to be getting better, but something went wrong. The report didn't specify what.

"It seems as if someone was following the Psycho Rangers through their whole training. I already read Psycho Crimson's file." Cam commented. "It's all personal stuff and a little detail about strengths and weaknesses, but there hasn't been anything that will help you guys."

"I'm sure there's something in there." Shane appeased, trying to quell the frustration he heard in the older man's voice.

"Knowing their background isn't going to help you." Cam continued.

"Maybe not." Shane admitted. An idea then struck him. "Look up Psycho Navy."

Cam worked silently, knowing what had inspired the order. After a moment of typing an image of the demorphed Psycho Ranger appeared. Cam was struck by how young Navy looked. He was no older than 18, but probably younger.

**Name: Niko Ri'ki**

**Orgin: Planet: Dai II; Country/Continent: Iden; City: Jidken**

**Age: 16**

**Status: Active; Navy Psycho Ranger**

It only took them a few sentences to find what they were looking for. Apparently, Niko had been a part of a team of rangers called the Hyper Force Rangers who had fought against Kalix. Kalix had managed to kill half the team in one attack and captured Niko and a few others at the same time. Kalix then had Niko brainwashed and drained of his ranger power beforesending him to take part in the Hadis proving grounds. The writer deduced that Niko would need brainwashing again eventually because his inherently good nature would start to conflict with evil actions. The report continued, noting how after working together to survive Hadis, Niko and Zadan the Yellow Psycho Ranger had begun to connect on a whole different level than the others. The writer didn't go into much detail, but he did mention that it would make the two a force to be reckoned with.

"That doesn't make sense. Psycho Navy and Psycho Yellow argue just as much as the others." Shane said.

Cam rolled his eyes. "The bigger picture is that Psycho Navy isn't evil like the rest of them. He's under a spell."

"It just says he was brainwashed."

"Read a little further." Cam replied. "Psycho Navy began to overcome the brainwashing and Kalix had some sorcerer put him under a spell that completely blocked his memories of ever being good."

"So? What does that mean? Are we supposed to try and get through to this guy?"

Cam didn't reply immediately and typed in a few things. The files on the Psycho Rangers minimized and something else popped up. Shane recognized it as the fight a day ago when Kale had first appeared and been captured by the Psycho Rangers. He watched as Kale blasted Navy with the gem on the forehead of his helmet. Cam keyed up some energy reading that Shane didn't really understand and he waited for the technician to explain.

"Whatever Kale hit Navy with, it wasn't any kind of energy blast." Cam explained. "I don't know what it was, but it didn't do any physical damage."

"So you think it broke the spell?"

"Maybe. Kale didn't say how he escaped." Cam reasoned. "Maybe Navy helped him."

"Why wouldn't Kale tell us that?"

"Because if Navy is going to keep on pretending he's evil you can't treat him differently." Cam said. "They might have a plan - who knows? I think it's best if we don't tell the others about Navy, especially Blake."

"He has to look like he's really fighting for his life against Navy." Shane reasoned.

"Exactly." Cam sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "This still doesn't give us any kind of advantage."

"Well, might I suggest we stop looking at the individuals and start looking at the team?"

Cam frowned. "Targeting individuals usually works better."

"Only when a team actually functions as a team." Shane replied. "If there's one weakness the Psychos have it's that they can't function as a team. They argue and bicker and I'm willing to bet they physically fight in private. That's their weakness, that's where we have to focus."

"In case you haven't noticed they keep you guys from fighting as a team too. How do you plan on getting past that?"

"At the moment I don't know." Shane answered with a tired sigh. "But I do know we have to figure something out quick, before they decide to attack again."

ZzZzZ

Dustin shifted from a laying position into a sitting one before glancing at his companion. Lion was still sitting on his haunches looking out over the savanna as if he'd never seen one. Then again, Dustin thought that as a spirit animal he probably never had. Dustin shoved the thought away as he felt a strange sensation roll through him again. Lion looked over at him with a knowing look in his gentle eyes.

"Your friends are calling you back." Lion said.

"I don't hear them calling." Dustin replied with a furrowed brow.

Lion rolled his eyes. "It's time for you to return to the land of the waking little cub. Your adventure is just beginning."

"Oh great, what a beginning." Dustin grumbled. His good nature then kicked in. "Well, maybe I've gotten the worst out of the way. Things can only get better, right?"

Lion smiled mysteriously. "Just remember, call on me when you need me."

Then everything began shifting around him. Dustin struggled for a moment against the darkness that crept in, before realizing that it was the way back to consciousness. He fell into it and swam toward a pinprick of light in the distance. Pretty soon the light filled his whole vision and it was then he realized his eyes were open and he was staring up into something he didn't recognize. He blinked a few times and the bright, blurry light cleared up into dim comfortable glow. He didn't recognize where he was and for a moment started to panic.

Just a room over Kale was sleeping somewhat peacefully when a beep tore straight through whatever dream he had started to conjure up. He shook the sleep away and sat up in the cot he called a bed. He pulled on a shirt to cover his scarred chest before heading out of his room and over to the healing chamber. The gentle hum it had issued earlier had faded and instead there was a dim light on inside the chamber. It was a clear sign that the ranger inside was done healing. Kale was a little surprised that it had happened so quickly. He was also a little worried. The ranger was going to be waking up in a stranger's care without his friends nearby. His worry grew as he watched the boy begin to panic. There was only one thing he could do. He pushed a little gray button that activated the intercom.

"Yellow Ranger, please calm down. You're in a healing chamber. Your friends asked me to use my healing chamber to help you." Kale explained. "I'll let you out if you promise not to try anything."

"I promise." Dustin replied, though he knew that if this stranger tried anything he'd sure as hell freak out.

Kale unlatched the side door and then pulled it open. He was surprised as Dustin practically bolted out of it and stood facing him. The ninja wasn't quite in a fighting stance, but he was tense and in a moment's notice he could be in a fighting stance. Kale held up his hands in universal gesture of peace and took a step back from the obviously anxious ranger. If he had to defend himself he would need room between them.

"Look, my name is Kale. I'm the Knight Ranger and rightful Protector of the Gems of Power that the Psycho Rangers are using." Kale explained. "I came to get the Gems back."

"And my friends just left me in your care?"

"After asking me to use my healing chamber to help you, yes."

Dustin seemed to think about that for a moment, before he relaxed and a friendly smile crossed his face. "That's good enough for me."

"Good." Kale said with a smile of his own. "I can imagine you're hungry. I know I always am after coming out of that thing."

"I'm starving what have you got to eat?"

ZzZzZ

There was a pretty joyous reunion when Dustin entered Ninja Ops the next morning. Cam listened to the excited chattering of the rangers as he continued scanning through the Psycho's files. He would say something to Dustin later, once everyone had calmed down. He didn't feel like it was his place to jump in to their little group like he belonged. His place was in front of the computer figuring out how to help them save the day.

Of course, as per usual the happiness didn't last long. Everything stopped when Cam announced the Psycho Rangers were attacking again. They morphed and started to leave, but Cam stopped them.

"Wait, now is the perfect time for a plan. The Psychos don't know Dustin is healed and back in action." Cam said.

"If we can separate one and use an ambush maybe we could defeat one of them." Shane mused.

"What happened to focusing on the team?" Cam asked with a raised eyebrow.

"At the moment the opportunity is with taking out an individual." Shane answered.

"Yeah, but which one?" Hunter asked. "I don't think we should try Crimson or Red, they're both more powerful than the others."

"Yellow isn't even with them." Cam noticed.

"Navy?" Blake suggested.

"No!" Kale and Cam exclaimed at the same time. Cam shared a look with Kale, who hadn't morphed, and quickly continued. "I mean, why don't you finish what you started with Psycho Blue? She's the weakest link anyway."

Hunter eyed the two warily. "There's something you two aren't sharing, but I have to agree. Psycho Blue does seem like the weakest link."

"Why, because she's the girl?" Tori demanded. When the boys could offer no defense she rolled her eyes behind her helmet. "Whatever, we'll target Blue."

"Okay." Shane looked around at the group. "Dustin, stay here until Tori gets Psycho Blue separated from the group."

"What about Kale?" Dustin asked, looking over his shoulder at the Knight Ranger.

Kale nodded. "I'll wait here as well. If Dustin and Tori have any trouble I'll back them up. It's my duty to get the Gems back anyway."

ZzZzZ

The Psychos were giving the rangers a pounding as usual. Shane was getting tired of being on the receiving end of a beating, but he knew that things were going to take a turn if they could manage to isolate Psycho Blue and take her out. He just hoped that Dustin, Kale and Tori would be enough. He quickly brought his thoughts back to the current fight as Psycho Red brought out his Psycho Saber and he was forced to pull his sword in defense. The two began an intense battle that neither seemed to be winning or losing as they both used all the skill they had to try and gain an advantage.

Not far away Hunter and Blake used the same tactic as usual and stuck together despite Navy and Crimson's attempts to separate them. And in that way they could swap opponents and really throw the two Psychos off their game. The brothers could fight as an unbeatable team while Navy and Crimson only seemed to get in each other's way. Even Crimson's desperate need to fight Hunter wasn't enough to keep him from turning on Navy. Hunter and Blake watched with slight shock as Crimson bashed Navy against a wall and pinned him there.

"I'm not going to let you cause me to fail again." Crimson hissed. "Stay out of the way. I'll handle _both_ rangers by myself."

"The Navy Thunder Ranger is mine." Navy growled, trying to put real emotion into it. Internally he hoped the two Thunders taught the arrogant jerk a lesson.

"Stay." Crimson barked and reached over the shield to punch Navy with teeth rattling force. It wasn't actually enough to knock Navy unconscious, but he faked it anyway. He really wanted to see the two Thunder Rangers take it to Crimson. "Now, where was I? Oh yes, if you two insist on sticking together then you can just die together."

"Bring it." Blake taunted, using the hand gesture to go with it.

Crimson didn't bother with words. He leapt into the air. He swung his shield down at Blake's face while kicking with the opposite leg at Hunter. Blake took a step back and watched the shield whiz by his face. Crimson landed on one leg and threw a roundhouse kick at Hunter as the Crimson Ranger started to stand up from his ducking position. The kick caught Hunter in the face, but Blake avenged him by landing a fierce kick of his own right in the middle of Crimson's back. Crimson stumbled forward right into Hunter's feet and was thrown into the air only to be kicked in the back once again. It was then he realized that taking on both the Thunders by himself was a bad idea.

_**That** is why you're not leadership material Terik. _Psycho Red sneered in his mind.

Elsewhere Tori had already begun to lead Psycho Blue away from the others. In some part of her mind she was terrified of being alone with Psycho Blue for any amount of time, even a few seconds. Her experience with the Psycho in the forest had been harrowing to say the least. She was still having nightmares about it and even though she knew Dustin would be there to help her, she was still scared.

"Where are you going little ranger?" Psycho Blue taunted. "You can't escape me."

_For once I don't want to. _Tori thought to herself. It wasn't entirely true. She _wanted_ to, but the plan required she lead the Psycho away.

They were in the city park with half a mile between them and the others before Tori planted her feet and fought back against Blue. The quick change almost caught Blue off guard, but she quickly recovered. They fought ferociously, cutlass against sword, and it seemed that as usual Blue was winning. Tori fell back, her suit sparking, and barely managed to roll away from a cutlass to the heart. She tried to leg sweep Blue, but the Psycho lunged over the leg and right at Tori. She just barely got her sword up in time to deflect the cutlass, but Blue's fist impacted with Tori's helmeted face with enough force to rock her backwards into the ground. She saw the cutlass coming at her, but couldn't do anything to stop it. She closed her eyes. _Dustin!_

Tori was vaguely aware of the sound of metal on metal before she felt Psycho Blue go flying away. She opened her eyes to see Dustin was smacking Blue all over the park. Blue had been unprepared for the ambush and couldn't seem to recover. Dustin was attacking fast and furious with his sword and had Blue's suit sparking with mini explosions. Tori recovered from her stupor just in time to realize things were about to go very wrong. Psycho Yellow streaked in from out of nowhere wrapped his scythe around Dustin's neck and threw him into the metal jungle gym.

"I was wondering when you'd be back." Yellow said gleefully, like a kid who had just found his favorite toy. Of all the confusing emotions he had been having lately it was good to find one he understood. The need to make the Yellow Wind Ranger suffer was an undeniable feeling.

Tori launched herself at Psycho Blue before her enemy could recover from Dustin's attack. She attacked with a fierceness she didn't even know she had. It was all or nothing and nothing just wasn't an option. She knew what had to happen but she didn't know how to initiate it. In the end she didn't have to do anything, because Dustin did it for her. One moment she was facing Psycho Blue and the next Dustin was tangling with Blue and she was facing a reluctant Yellow. The Psychos kept trying to get to their respective rangers, but the two Wind Rangers wouldn't let them.

Psycho Blue was getting scared. She was a great warrior, she had no doubt about that, but she was not meant to fight the Yellow Ranger. Though the two rangers' fighting styles were similar, they were different enough to be a problem. She needed more power. As Dustin kicked her across the park she reached inside for the bright blue pool of energy deep within and dove in. Instantly, she was rejuvenated and on top of that she felt ten times stronger than before. She felt strong enough to take the two rangers herself and told Yellow that mentally.

_You're crazy! The Yellow Ranger is mine! _Yellow argued.

_Go! _To add emphasis she threw a bolt of searing energy at him. Yellow was knocked backwards into a tree that cracked under the impact. _You're a liability._

_Fine! But don't expect sympathy from me when they send you packing! _With that Yellow streaked away.

Dustin and Tori watched Psycho Yellow leave with confusion. That was quickly pushed away as Psycho Blue attacked with more speed and fierceness than ever before. She grabbed Dustin's arm as he tried to punch and flipped him onto his back, keeping a hold of his arm while she met Tori's kick with one of her own. Dustin tried to trip the Psycho, but she jumped over him and pulled him onto his stomach and twisted his arm cruelly. Tori practically threw herself at Blue when she heard Dustin cry out in pain. Blue was laughing at them in that psychotic way that indicated she was even more dangerous than before.

"You thought you could separate me and gang up on me? Pathetic rangers!" Psycho Blue laughed mockingly. "I'll kill you both without breaking a sweat!"

She sent energy crackling down her arm, through her hand, and into Dustin. Dustin arched and struggled to get away. Tori picked herself up from where Blue had thrown her and launched herself at the Psycho Ranger, but Blue caught her by her throat and gave her the same treatment as Dustin. Blue cackled with glee as the two rangers succumbed to her power and lay twitching on the ground like fish out of water. She was so focused on the pain she was causing that she totally missed the appearance of another ranger until she was kicked quite soundly in the chest. The force sent her flying onto her back, but she was on her feet quickly and saw the Knight Ranger helping Dustin and Tori to their feet.

"I should have known you'd show up." Psycho Blue sneered. "Not that it'll do any good."

"You're all bark and no bite Aurias, you always have been." Kale retorted. Tori and Dustin looked at him in surprise. "You just couldn't stand that Valin was chosen as a ranger and not you."

"It was my right!" Psycho Blue yelled. "I was older; I should have been a ranger, not my bumbling younger brother!"

"Valin was chosen because he had a good heart." Kale replied. "You had too much darkness in you, which you proved when you killed your own father."

Blue growled, deep and menacing. "You have no idea what you're talking about. Not everything was what it seemed."

"You killed him, that's what matters. Do you even care how torn up Valin was? He lost two people he cared about in one day! He was never the same again."

"I don't feel remorse about killing that controlling bastard." Blue snarled. Her tone softened a little bit. "But I do miss Valin."

It was Kale's turn to growl. "How can you say that! It was your fault the Shadow Rogue came to our planet in the first place! We had no chance against him and you knew it!"

"I was angry and—wait a minute. I don't have to defend myself to you!" Psycho Blue seemed to suddenly realize they were in a battle situation. Speaking was not a requirement. "I'm done talking you. You died to me when you betrayed my trust."

"Aurias."

Psycho Blue didn't let him finish. She attacked with a vengeance that spoke of years of repressed aggression toward Kale. Kale defended himself easily, but neither of them seemed to be able to get an advantage. It seemed as if they knew each other too well. But things took a turn for the worse when Kale went for a roundhouse kick at Blue's head. Psycho Blue grabbed his leg, lifted him up, and swung him around into the ground with bone crunching force. He let out a little grunt of pain, but didn't get up.

Blue turned toward Tori and made her way toward the Blue Ranger. She was taken completely by surprise as something very hard slammed into her back and she was knocked face down. She rolled to the side and caught a glimpse of yellow before she sprang to her feet and went straight at Dustin. Her cutlass appeared in her hand once more and she attacked him with all the skill she possessed.

Dustin used the pole of his hammer to block potentially dangerous swipes of the cutlass and was doing fairly well until Blue got a kick past his defenses that sent him sprawling. He tried to get up, but Blue straddled him, grabbed each end of the Lion Hammer, and began forcing the pole down against his throat. Dustin struggled to push it back, but she was stronger than him and he quickly found himself struggling to breathe. Black spots began floating in his vision and the world slowed down to a dim roar.

_Not like this. _He growled. He knew what he had to do. _Lion, I need you._

_I'm here little cub. _And just like that he felt a whole new strength flow into him. Like a wave washing over him he felt the stress of the situation just flow away as courage and strength filled him. At the same time he felt the strongest need ever to protect Tori. If Psycho Blue finished him she would surely go after Tori next and he just couldn't allow that.

Blue jerked back with surprise as a faint yellow glow issued from around the Yellow Ranger and then found herself sprawled on her back. She managed to raise her head and saw the Yellow Ranger standing already. He was still glowing, with the emblem on his chest glowing the brightest. Perhaps the most intimidating thing was the fact that his once featureless visor seemed to have a glowing pair of white eyes. Blue scrambled to her feet and backed up a few steps. She could feel something different about him, a new power that hadn't been there.

"Now we end this Psycho Blue." Dustin said with a confidence that was new and rather startling.

Tori looked from where she was still too hurt to move and couldn't believe what she was seeing or what she was feeling. She had never felt anything like it before. She couldn't help but wonder how she could get a piece of that, but pushed the thought away. At the moment she just hoped it would be enough to defeat Psycho Blue.

Dustin and Blue charged each other, but it was clear from the beginning who was winning. Dustin bashed Blue's cutlass out of her hand and used the slight distraction to nail her with the handle. Psycho Blue stumbled back, but recovered and attacked with renewed vigor. Dustin seemed ready for everything and that only infuriated Blue more. She threw a searing bolt of energy at him, but he absorbed it and sent it right back at her. Blue staggered under her own power and felt fury beyond anything she had ever felt before bubble up in her. With a roar of anger she charged the Yellow Ranger.

That's when things went downhill - for her.

Dustin gathered all the newfound strength and power and swung his hammer with everything he had. The hammer connected with Psycho Blue's chest with brutal power. The result was frightening. The hammer seemed to smash the casing of Blue's chest plate with a shower of sparks as if it was nothing more than glass. Psycho Blue was knocked flat on her back and she wasn't moving.

The Gem of Power was revealed and Dustin couldn't help but stare at it. The pulsing gem was completely entrancing, not to mention its power seemed to be pulling at him. He felt as if he was looking at the very thing capable of stopping Lothor once and for all. If he possessed the gem he would have the power to stand up to Lothor and end the evil space ninja's terror. Not just Lothor, he could stand up to any enemy that threatened Earth. The Gem called to him and everything else around him faded away.

"What are we waiting for?" Tori asked.

"No, don't."

But Kale's warning came too late. Tori grabbed the Gem of Power and instantly the gem reacted. She and Psycho Blue both screamed as raw power surged through them both. Tori's suit sparked and then she was sent flying backwards and both demorphed. Kale quickly snatched the Gem from Tori's grasp and dropped it in a pouch he'd brought with him. He and Dustin then went to Tori's side where Kale found a steady pulse and normal breathing.

Elsewhere at the same time the other Psychos received a feedback surge and collapsed, twitching to the ground. Then all of the Psychos were transported away.

"What just happened?" Blake asked, looking surprised.

"Tori and Dustin must have succeeded." Hunter replied.

As if on cue Dustin's voice sounded from their morphers. "Guys, get back to Ninja Ops, Tori's been hurt."

ZzZzZ

"You insufferable moron!"

Yellow didn't even have time to gasp before he was under attack. He was too weak from the feedback of the Gem to even think of defending himself. All he could do was take each punishing hit and hope it ended soon. And it did, much sooner than Kalix had planned. Yellow stared in stunned horror at Navy, who had stepped up to stop Kalix's methodical attack.

"How dare you." Kalix snarled at the defiant Psycho.

"Master, it's not Zadan's fault. Hurting him won't change anything." Navy stood ready for the repercussions. "Aurias told Zadan to leave."

For a long few minutes Kalix was silent as he glared at Navy. Finally he sighed and nodded. "You're right. However, it doesn't change the fact that Lothor is going to be very pissed off."

"Why do we continue to play this game with him? We could wipe his pathetic army out of existence." Crimson grumbled. Other than feeling the effects of the backlash he was unconcerned about Blue.

"Because it's better to have him as an ally against the rangers for now." Kalix replied. He sighed again. "All of you go rest and recuperate. I want you all ready to make the rangers pay for this."

"Yes master."

ZzZzZ

"Relax, she's just unconscious." Cam announced to the worried group.

"What happened?" Shane asked.

"Tori grabbed the Gem and it totally tried to fry her." Dustin replied.

Kale rolled his eyes. "The Gem didn't try to do anything it simply reacted to being touched. Since it was a ranger touching it the result was an overload."

"How did you touch it?" Dustin asked.

"Only someone who doesn't want to use the Gems of Power may touch them." Kale replied. "Even if somewhere deep in your subconscious you want to use the power for any reason good or evil the result will be the same."

"Zap."

"Exactly."

"But as a ranger how could you not want to use the power for good?" Hunter asked. "Isn't it a built in instinct?"

"Because I have seen how absolute power corrupts." Kale replied. "Since I'm a being of good there's no limit to how much power I could draw and there's no doubt in my mind that at first I would do it in order to help others, but eventually that would all change."

"What does being good have to do with how much power you draw?" Cam questioned.

"The Gems of Power are fundamentally "good". They tap into a universal "good" power, the Morphing Grid. Perhaps it would be easier to say they tap into a white power." Kale explained. "I'm a being of white power and therefore I would connect naturally with the Gems of Power. I would have unlimited power."

"But the Psychos aren't good. How are they so powerful?" Shane wondered.

"They haven't even tapped half the potential of those Gems." Kale admitted. He saw the resigned acceptance on their faces and assumed they'd already figured that out. "What the Psycho Rangers and Kalix don't understand is that those of them that are of the dark power can never fully tap the potential of the Gems. Kalix didn't want to hear that."

"So there's a limit to their power." Shane was relieved to hear that. The Psychos may have been powerful, but they had their limits."

Kale frowned. "Don't let that fool you Shane. They can still tap into power that well exceeds your own. The victory with Blue today was a fluke. She was caught off guard by Dustin's display of new power. Don't expect things to get easier. The longer they have the Gems the more power they access. Things don't get easier from here, they only get harder."


	9. Big Boom?

Lothor was not happy. Everything that had seemed to be going so right in his life was suddenly becoming more complicated than it needed to be. Destroy the rangers and rule the world. That's all he wanted or cared about. Instead, the rangers were doing their annoying ranger thing and thwarting all his plans. Well, not his plans, but in thwarting Kalix's plans they were essentially thwarting him.

"General Kalix, what happened?" Lothor demanded.

Kalix hesitated. He didn't want to explain the Gems of Power to Lothor. "Psycho Blue is...temporarily out of commission."

"I gathered that." Lothor snapped. "Tell me how those rangers managed to defeat her. No, better yet, tell me what you're doing to do to retaliate."

"I haven't thought that far." Kalix admitted. "I will come up with something."

"You do that."

Kalix cut his end of the communication and turned to glare fiercely at the Psychos lined up before him. Psycho Blue wasn't present. She was in the infirmary recovering from the sudden loss of her power. Dr. Radkee had told them that she would eventually recover, but it would take her a little while. The backlash of the Gem had taken its toll on her system. That did nothing to quell his anger toward Psycho Yellow for leaving her behind to deal with first two and then three rangers by herself. His piercing glare burned straight through Yellow's visor.

"I'm still most displeased with you Psycho Yellow." Kalix growled. "You never should have left your teammate behind."

"She told me to go." Yellow replied. "Serves her right for blasting me like that."

"Serves her right?" Kalix repeated, fury causing his voice to shake. "I should beat you within an inch of your life because it serves you right for abandoning her!" He watched with satisfaction as Yellow winced. "As it is I'm going to be generous and give you a chance to make up for it, but I have other things to deal with first."

"Yes Master, I won't fail you." Yellow said respectfully.

Kalix huffed in a way that suggested he doubted it. "All of you get out of my sight. Go do something productive while I think."

"Yes Master."

ZzZzZ

Red found himself standing awkwardly in the doorway of the infirmary staring at Blue's prone form. No, not Blue. Psycho Blue was gone. What was left was Aurias. Aurias, the woman he had first met over a year ago. The woman who had shown classic signs of insanity quite a bit, but had also worked hard to try and make them a team. The Aurias that had tried really hard to break through his shell - to crack his defensive wall.

He missed that Aurias. He had never let her get close, not really. That never stopped her though. She tried every day to get through to him. She might have even been breaking through before Jaldia happened. _To the dark depths of space with Jaldia_. Aurias hadn't been the same after that nightmare. None of them had.

Red looked around to see if anyone was close by, but found the halls empty. With a little hesitancy he walked into the infirmary and stopped beside Aurias's bed. Her long black hair was spread across the pillow in a stark contrast to the white of the sheets. She looked...peaceful. Perhaps for the first time in a really long time she looked peaceful. It was beautiful. She was beautiful. It wasn't the first time he had noticed, but it was the first time he had admitted it to himself. He reached out a hand and then hesitated. He was still morphed and wouldn't be able to feel her skin, skin that suddenly looked soft and inviting. With another hesitant look around he demorphed and reached out to touch her.

"She'll kill you."

Red jerked his hand back and spun to find Navy standing at the door. "Are you spying on me runt?"

"No, I came to see my teammate." Navy replied truthfully. "I just thought I'd stop you before you did something she'd make you regret later."

"She would never know." Red murmured and looked back at his unconscious teammate. He glanced briefly at Navy as the younger boy joined him. "Unless you told her."

"You pick on me and make me miserable sometimes, but I'm not following Terik's lead forever." Navy replied. Instantly his mind latched onto the idea. Here was his chance. "It's his fault, y'know. He was too focused on showing off to notice Aurias leaving the area."

"He's a lousy leader." Red grumbled. "His overactive ego blinds him to everything else."

"You should stand up to him and take your position back." Navy insisted. "You are a way better leader than he could ever be. You never beat any of us, except Terik who really just brings it on himself."

"Physical punishment is Kalix's duty."

"You have to stand up for yourself Dariv. Not just for your sake but for the rest of the team's sake. If Terik keeps leading, the rest of us are going to join Aurias."

Red's hands clenched into fists. "I won't let that happen. His dictatorship has gone on long enough."

Navy watched with hidden satisfaction as Red turned and stormed out of the infirmary. He saw a flash of red light as Red turned the corner and knew his teammate had morphed. He smirked. Tearing the team apart was going to be a lot easier than he thought.

ZzZzZ

Sweat trickled slowly down Kale's brow as he concentrated on his kata. He had never been big on it when Rez had tried to get him to do katas more. Then again, he had never liked meditating, but Kora had insisted that he do it every night before bed. But with both of them gone he grasped on to the last things he had that they had given him. Rez had taught him a kata to focus himself and in hard times he turned to that to help him deal.

He hadn't wanted to believe it when he read that Aurias was Psycho Blue. She was the sister of one of his deceased teammates, Valin. By all their customs the oldest child was the one to receive the ranger powers from the parents. She was the oldest, but her father had seen instability in her that would make her dangerous. Valin had been chosen instead and the Green Knight Ranger powers had been passed to him in the ceremony. Aurias had been beyond pissed off, but had ultimately proven herself unworthy by killing her father. After doing the deed she had tried to escape capture, but Kale had known where she would go and had captured her and turned her in. She was banished from the planet and Kale never knew exactly what happened to her, only that she had given Shadow Rogue a tip on a very strong power source. And that had been the end of his civilization.

"I've never seen a kata like that before."

Kale's concentration was broken and he looked up at his observer. "I _am_ from a different planet Hunter, I'm sure I know a lot of katas you don't."

"Ditto."

Kale's face screwed up briefly with confusion, but he brushed it off. "Did you need something?"

Hunter hesitated. "I, um, I wanted to say thank you for putting Dustin in your healing chamber."

Kale eyed the thunder ranger carefully. There was something in his tone that said there was more to that situation than what Hunter was saying. None of the others had personally thanked him, except Dustin of course. Then again, the ninja rangers were none of his business.

"You're welcome." Kale said. "Nothing I wouldn't do for a fellow ranger."

"Is there some kind of ranger code or something? Rangers help other rangers?"

Kale smiled at the question. "I wouldn't say a code...more just instincts and a calling." Seeing Hunter's slightly confused look he went on. "Your powers are spiritual, so it might not be the same for you, but for those ranger teams that harness a, for the lack of a better word, "magic" energy, there is a deep connection between all holders of the power. The Morphing Grid, for example, is the source of hundreds of ranger powers, mine included, and I have a certain...connection to others harnessing the power of the Morphing Grid."

"So you know if rangers harnessing the Morphing Grid are in trouble?"

"In some form or another, yes." Again Kale's words earned a somewhat confused look. "The feeling I get depends on how dire the need of the ranger or rangers is. At the weakest it's just a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach, and an inexperienced ranger wouldn't think much of it. At the strongest it's an insistent pull toward the ranger in need."

"But an inexperienced ranger might just ignore it as nothing."

"It happens."

"Wait a minute; you said my powers are spiritual." Hunter said. "I thought they were created, like they're technology or something."

"I thought so too at first, but your power runs deeper than that. It's a spiritual power that your morphers simply tap into and harness." Kale explained. "Nothing can take your power away from you and even if you lose your morpher the power will always be inside you."

ZzZzZ

Yellow and Navy sat quietly together in the rec. room. Kalix had tapped into satellites and they were capable of getting almost 1000 channels. They were watching an interesting show where four humans traveled through a stabilized wormhole to other planets. They were both captivated by it all. The bad guys; the good guys; just the idea of humans originating on Earth was intriguing.

"Jackson seems naïve." Yellow commented.

"I don't think he's a naïve as you think." Navy replied. "His glass is half full."

"Huh?"

"He's optimistic."

"He's idealistic in a world that will chew him up, spit him out and laugh about it."

"There's nothing wrong with finding positive things in a situation." Navy retorted. "Not everyone has to be cynical."

"No, but they should be realistic." Yellow insisted.

Navy turned to Yellow for the first time to directly address him. "Are you trying to tell me something?"

"Maybe, but then again you never were good at subtle messages."

The relaxed atmosphere instantly turned hostile. The TV show was forgotten as the two bolted to their feet. Neither morphed, and for the first time in a long time they could see the anger on each other's faces instead of reading body language. Niko had almost begun to forget was Zadan really looked like. The older man's buzzed blond hair reminded him of the Strike Force officers from his home planet while Zadan's reddish-brown eyes were completely unique as far as Niko was concerned. The yellow pendant necklace that Zadan always wore caught some light and reflected it like it had that night in the hall. It reminded him of what had almost been.

"I think I got all of your messages pretty clearly on Jaldia, don't you? You made everything perfectly clear to me." Niko snarled.

Zadan's eyes flared with emotion. "Yes, you made that apparent. Obviously, I got your message too."

"Oh? Then what was my message Zadan? What was I telling you?"

"That."

"Psycho Yellow report to the command room."

The two stopped and glared at each other as the announcement interrupted their argument. Zadan morphed and once more became Psycho Yellow, his helmet hiding his emotions. To his surprise Niko did the same and to his utter bewilderment, followed him out of the rec. room as if he was going to follow him all the way to the command room. Yellow spun on his teammate.

"What are you doing?"

Navy shrugged. "You went with me the last time Kalix summoned me."

Yellow thought about arguing, but decided against it. For some reason he still didn't understand he felt better when Navy was around. Even if they were arguing he still felt more comfortable when his teammate was around. So, he let Navy follow him without saying anything else.

In the command room Kalix was waiting with a strangely familiar device in his clawed hands. Upon seeing Yellow he thrust the device at him and waited as the Psycho Ranger took it from him. He shot a brief glare at Navy as the other Psycho stood close by.

"Normally I'd tell you to both go, but this is for Psycho Yellow to prove himself. You will tag the Knight Ranger with a tracking device and follow him back to his ship. You will plant this bomb and we'll be rid of that wretched Knight Ranger." Kalix said, fixing Yellow with a pointed stare. "Should you fail you will be punished."

"Yes Master."

ZzZzZ

Kale watched Hunter's back as the young man headed back to Ninja Ops. He was pleasantly surprised by Hunter's curiosity about other rangers. For Kale it was no big thing meeting other teams of rangers, but he gathered it was something special to this group. He had patiently answered all of Hunter's questions until they started getting on the subject of his team. His team had been dead for many hundreds of years, but that didn't make thinking about them any easier. That came from how they died. It was not a death of old age, because his people aged very slowly, but of brutal murder at the hands of the Shadow Rogue.

Hundreds of years later and he still had nightmares of it. He relived the deaths of his family, then his teammates, and most of all his entire civilization. All of them gone within a week. Except for Aurias. They were the two sole survivors of what had been a mighty, highly evolved civilization. Nothing could ease the pain in his heart when he thought about it. The worst thing was that if nothing bad happened he would not join them for at least another two hundreds years. His death was the only way to reunite with everyone he had ever cared about, but as long as the Gems of Power were his responsibility he was tied to life.

Kale banished the depressing train of thought and turned his attention to the current problem. He had one of the Gems back, but there were still four more to get and he knew things would only get harder. The one trump card they had was Psycho Navy. He was playing for their side and Kale could only hope sowing dissention in the ranks or doing something to help them. He had a feeling that the Psychos were going to fight with a vengeance at the loss of one of their own. On some level or another, the whole team had to have been affected, even if they didn't want to admit it.

Yellow balanced carefully on a tree branch high above the Knight Ranger's head. He had only one shot to get it right. Aiming carefully he dropped a small device that couldn't have been any bigger than a spider. The device dropped straight and true and the little hooks on it caught on the back of Kale's shirt. Yellow smirked triumphantly and waited for the Knight Ranger to go back to his ship, assuming like the arrogant fool he was that he would be safe. He watched as Kale transported away dropped from the tree to follow on foot.

Kale had no idea he was bugged or that Psycho Yellow was able to find his ship. Once back on board his ship he set his computer to do a routine system check that temporarily shut down everything except the cloak hiding him. He knew with an old ship like his it was critical he make sure everything was working properly. Most importantly shutting down the systems conserved power and he knew that without a recharge unit his generator would run out of power. How soon that happened depended a lot on how much power he actively used.

While that was going on he went to his room to catch up on some sleep he had definitely been lacking. He was completely unaware of the fact that Psycho Yellow had literally bumped into his ship and was busy setting a bomb to send him to join his teammates in the spirit world.

"Goodbye Knight Ranger." Yellow snickered as if finished setting the bomb. A big red segmented bar began glowing as the only indication of the countdown.

Yellow watched as one segment faded and smiled with satisfaction. He was going to gain favor with Kalix once more as well as prove to the other Psychos he could do something right. It would also send a message to the rangers that anyone who stood up to them would be destroyed.

He stood up and was just about to transport away when he was shot from behind. He stumbled slightly, but caught his balance and whipped around to face his attacker. That's when he saw it was the whole ranger team, not just one of them. They had come to stop him and save their new buddy. Typical ranger heroism. It made Yellow sick to his stomach.

"Whatever you're up to, you won't get away with it." Shane challenged.

Yellow smirked behind his helmet. "And you think you wimps can stop me? Just try, if you dare. I'll even turn my back."

The rangers watched as Psycho Yellow turned his back to them in an extreme show of arrogance. Dustin saw the perfect chance to get even with his evil counterpart. He pulled his ninja sword and lunged at his enemy's back. In a split second Yellow shifted and caught Dustin with a brutal kick to the chest. Dustin was sent flying back to land at his teammates' feet. Shane and Blake pulled him to his feet and Shane smacked him on the back of the head.

"Don't attack first." Shane scolded.

Psycho Yellow laughed. "Is that the best you have Yellow Ranger? Is that the best any of you have?"

"You Psychos may be powerful, but there's something we've got that you'll never have." Tori commented.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Yellow asked with amusement.

"Teamwork."

The rangers then charged together. Yellow dodged the two Thunder brothers, but moved right into a kick from Shane. He stumbled slightly, but managed to duck Tori's sword only to get a boot straight to the face. He used the power behind the kick to back flip away, but when he stopped he was assaulted by the Thunders. Yellow used one arm to block Hunter's staff and then did the same to Blake and received twin kicks to the ribs for leaving himself open. He found himself on his back with two thunder sabers to his throat before he could even figure out what was happening. The sabers weren't an immediate danger, they didn't have a point after all, but they served as a warning of what would happen if he continued. Yellow was enraged. With a roar of fury he unleashed a shock wave of energy. The three Winds were simply knocked to the ground with a few sparks, but Hunter and Blake was sent flying with their suits sparking wildly.

"Pathetic upstarts." Yellow hissed as he got to his feet. "Your teamwork can only help you so much."

With that Psycho Yellow pulled his scythe and really got to work on his enemies. Within minutes the Winds had lost possession of their ninja swords. Shane was curled up in pain against the tree he had become too familiar with, while Tori was floating somewhere between awareness and unconsciousness, leaving Dustin by himself to face his worst nightmare. Dustin pulled his hammer and for once was prepared for Yellow's little weapon stealing trick. As soon as Yellow locked the blade of his scythe under the head of Dustin's hammer the Wind Ranger jerked with all his might and caught the Psycho Ranger off guard. Yellow was swung to the ground hard, but flipped to his feet only to receive a kick to the faceplate. With a grunt Yellow landed on his back and stared in shock as Dustin stood over him, hammer pinning him by his throat to the ground.

"You arrogance is your downfall." Dustin remarked, almost as if he were giving a teammate advice.

"You foolishness will be yours." Yellow snarled. He sent a powerful charge of energy through Dustin's hammer right into the unprepared ranger.

Yellow stumbled to his feet and was finally satisfied that he was the only one left standing. Glancing quickly at the bomb he smirked. Only five segments left. He was going to accomplish more than his original goal. He was going to destroy them all with one well-placed bomb. That would give him bragging rights for life.

Suddenly the Knight Ranger's ship shimmered into view and Yellow felt his blood urn cold. The ship's main weapon, a devastating cannon, was pointed directly at him. Several smaller armaments were pointed at him as well, but it was the cannon that made him sweat. He was powerful yes, but he was sure that a blast from a cannon like that would be too much for him. He was completely frozen, couldn't even think of transporting away. It was the first time in a very long time he had felt fear.

"You get one warning Psycho Yellow. Only one." The Knight Ranger's voice boomed from the outside com.

That brought him out of his stupor. The stupid ranger wasn't even demanding he stop the bomb. A quick glance at it brought a smirk back to his face. Two segments left. They were all as good as dead. They couldn't possibly disarm the bomb before it went off.

"Have fun in the afterlife." Yellow sneered and then transported away.

Kale instantly transported beside the bomb and swore as he recognized the type. Any attempts to transport it would cause it to detonate immediately. Moving it was out of the question as well. If he moved his ship it would move the bomb and the thing would still go off. He had only one choice. Try and disarm it.

"Oh Max I could sure use your help now." Kale murmured. Then an idea struck him. Without any effort at all he reached inside and flipped the mental switch that caused him to morph. For the first time in a long time he tried to reach his deceased friends. _Max, if you can hear me I really need help now._

_You've always needed help Kale, but I never held it against you. _Max's teasing voice replied, the purple gem on his chest glowing slightly. _There should be a panel that you can lift open, do so. Get your bomb kit out of subspace._

While Kale followed the instructions being given to him by his dead teammate, the Ninja Ranger were pulling themselves back together. None of them had imagined that one Psycho by himself could do so much damage to them all. It was like nothing they did even fazed him. All they did was piss him off. It was disturbing.

"You all should get out of here. I'm not sure if I'll be able to disarm this in time." Kale told the team. "You can't afford to go with me."

_Have you lost that much faith in me? _Max asked sounding a little hurt.

_It's not you I have no faith in. _Kale replied truthfully. _I put the clips on the booby trap wires, now what?_

Kale ignored any replies and focused on the task at hand. It was down to the last segment and he could hear a soft beeping getting faster. Max was giving him directions as quick and detailed as he could, but a lot of techno babble was leaking in and Kale was getting a headache. Kale groaned softly and his hands trembled slightly.

_Just cut the red wire. _Nick's voice piped up. _It's always the red wire._

_Max? _Kale looked to the techno whiz for confirmation.

_Couldn't hurt. Well, if it's the wrong wire you'll be reduced to nothing but basic atoms along with your ship. Just be careful that's the only wire you cut. If you cut the green one it could—_

_I get the point_. Kale cut off his rambling friend. He glanced at the rangers, who despite his warning hadn't moved away, and knew that if he cut the wire andhe was wrongit wouldn't matter how far back they stood. Everything within 100 yards was going to be gone. With that thought he focused back on the bomb. With his hands still trembling from the effort he used the small wire cutter and snipped the red wire.


	10. Spirit Animals

He tensed and closed his eyes in preparation of a big explosion. Instead he was rewarded with nothing. The bomb remained silent, the countdown frozen at one segment.

"Nice going Kale!" Dustin cheered.

"It's nothing I did." Kale replied. _Thank you, Max. You saved my ass as usual_.

_Hey, it was my idea to cut the red wire!_ Nick whined. _Aren't you going to thank me?_

_Oh I'll thank you when I see you._ Kale replied.

_I like the sound of that_.

_You're welcome by the way_. Max piped up. _Try and keep yourself out of trouble kid._

Kale sat back with a sigh. He was so lucky Psycho Yellow had unleashed that shockwave of energy otherwise he never would have woken up in time to save his ship, himself, and the other rangers. The crisis was adverted, but it brought a new problem to light. He needed to find a new hiding place for his ship, but he wasn't sure where now. If he went to space he would have to land the ship every time he wanted to join a fight.

_Miniaturize it_. Max suggested.

_That technology was experimental at best._ Kale argued. _Plus, what if the ship doesn't have enough power to restore itself? And to add to that where am I supposed to live?_

_Use the crystals to create a cavern to hide the ship in. Then you can set up shield generators to keep unwanted transport beams out. It would be simple and safe and completely hidden._ Rez suggested, speaking for the first time in a very long time. Kale smiled as he felt the blue gem glow warmly. _In case you forgot, I had Max stock the ship with the crystals. There's plenty to use._

The rangers watched with a little confusion as Kale just sat staring at his ship. They noticed that several of the gems were glowing slightly. Then, he suddenly stood up and moved toward an access hatch. He pushed a few buttons and the hatch slid open to reveal several suitcase-like objects. Kale pulled one of the suitcases out knelt down to place it on the ground. The rangers watched all of this wondering what the hell their ally was up to. Kale glanced at them over his shoulder.

"Thanks for your help, but don't you have something else you should be doing?" Kale asked as politely as he could. He hated other people watching him work.

"Yeah, I think we have some things we need to talk about." Dustin spoke up, sounding way more serious than usual. "C'mon guys."

Kale watched them go before turning his attention back to the brightly colored crystals inside. He had work to do himself.

ZzZzZ

Kalix was way past being mad. He was absolutely furious. He glowered at Yellow, then at Navy who stood beside the older Psycho as if to support him. Yellow hardly seemed to flinch at the threats burning in Kalix's eyes. That just wouldn't do. What more could he do if Yellow didn't fear a beating for himself? Really, there was only one thing he could do and it was a big gamble. Yellow might not even care, though Kalix was willing to bet that wouldn't be the case.

Navy gasped in surprise as a telekinetic force sent him flying. He landed on his back and was instantly under attack. Kalix was punching, clawing, and kicking him and he found a telekinetic force holding him completely still. He couldn't defend himself in any way. He hated the feeling of helplessness and it was even worse when it was his most hated enemy doing it.

Yellow watched with stunned horror. Kalix had never resorted to that tactic. Whenever one of them messed up bad enough to deserve physical punishment they were always the one to receive it. Navy hadn't done anything to deserve the punishment. And just like that red-hot anger flared inside the Psycho Ranger.

"Stop! He hasn't done anything!" Yellow exclaimed.

Kalix turned a burning glare at him. "From now on he gets your punishment and you get his. Think about that before you fail again."

"No!"

Yellow leapt forward and caught Kalix's fist before he could hit Navy again. He looked down in surprise as Kalix's tail wrapped around his leg and swung him up into the air and down into the ground with a bang. Kalix looked at them both with disgust before deciding he was done. He was going to send the remaining Psychos down to Earth and he didn't want half of them functioning poorly because of punishment.

"Both of you get out of my sight." Kalix snarled.

Yellow pulled himself to his feet and started toward the door when he realized Navy wasn't behind him. He stopped short and looked behind him to see Navy still sitting on the ground shaking his head. Yellow quickly went to his teammate's side and offered him a hand up. Navy looked at it for a moment as if the hand might bite him, but accepted it gratefully and let the older Psycho help him up. The two then quickly made their way out of the command room before Kalix changed his mind.

"I'm sorry." Yellow said.

"No you're not. You would rather I take the punishment than you." Navy replied. "You've never been good about taking responsibility for your actions."

"This is different." Yellow argued. "Kalix has never been this cruel before. He's physically punished us, but that was usually with a cane in our unmorphed state. Now he's using electro-poles and his telekinesis against us."

"Times have changed. This isn't training anymore Zadan."

Yellow glared at his teammate, his body language drastically changing. "I know this isn't training anymore. It's either us or them now, but I don't see why you should get my punishment. For that matter, I don't see why either of us should be punished. It was just me against most of the ranger team and the Knight Ranger's big ass cannon."

"Are you admitting it was too much for the mighty Zadan?" Navy taunted. He then realized he was falling into his old behavior, that of the evil Psycho Navy. Why was he being so cruel toward Yellow after he stood up for him in the command room?

"I'm not mighty, but I'm more than enough to take care of you." Yellow growled.

Navy took a step away from his teammate. "Neither of us is any condition to fight, but I'm not scared of you."

"I don't want you to be scared of me." Yellow replied, his anger deflating. His unspoken message burning in his mind -_ I want you to like me._

"Well, I want both of you to be scared of me."

The two turned to see Crimson standing behind them. Yellow took a subconscious step in front of Navy and glared behind his helmet. Navy took a step toward Yellow, ready to support him if Crimson grew aggressive. Crimson stared at them both, a little surprised to see them supporting each other. Things were changing within the team and he wasn't sure he liked it.

"We're not scared of you Terik and there's nothing you can do about it." Yellow retorted. "You're not as big and bad as you think you are."

"Yeah, you let the Knight Ranger get away." Navy added. He mentally patted himself on the back for thinking of incriminating Crimson. It was a perfect plan. "I doubt Dariv would have been that foolish."

"I didn't let the Knight Ranger get away! I was weight training!" Crimson exclaimed. He was furious no one would believe him. Even more so that one of his so-called teammates had framed him and was obviously a traitor. "Someone framed me."

Yellow laughed mockingly. "Oh just admit you screwed up and take your punishment like a man."

In a flash Crimson had Yellow pinned to the wall by his throat and was giving him a look full of fire and accusation, though it was completely lost behind his helmet. Yellow grunted with surprise and looked to Navy for help. Navy turned instantly and latched onto Crimson's shoulder only to receive a kick to his chest. Crimson tightened his hold.

"You framed me, didn't you! You want me out of the way so you can be leader!" Crimson accused.

Yellow didn't even skip a beat. "If I wanted you out of my way Terik, I'd kill you in your sleep."

"You don't have what it takes to kill someone."

"Alexi."

Crimson and Navy both winced at the name. They didn't want to remember Alexi or what had happened there. It was a sore spot with all of them, but none of the Psychos blamed Yellow for what he did. It had been either him or Alexi, there was no second place.

"You had no choice." Crimson finally said. "If you hadn't killed him he would have killed you. This isn't the same. You don't have the guts to kill someone in cold blood."

"So what if I don't? I can kill when it counts." Yellow retorted. "And if you keep this up it's going to count."

Navy made his move again, this time forcefully throwing Crimson across the hall to the other wall. He then placed himself between the two and stood defiantly. Crimson pushed away from the wall and growled low in his throat.

"Forget Zadan, it was you wasn't it?" Crimson snarled.

Navy smirked, but kept his reply neutral. "I don't want to be a leader Terik. Everyone knows I'm a follower."

"Yeah, Dariv's follower. You framed me so he could be leader again."

"Now you're just making things up." Yellow said. "It doesn't do you any good to run around accusing everyone without proof of anything."

"I know that one of you framed me!"

"You keep thinking that Terik. But if you ever attack me or Niko again you'll be sorry."

Navy watched Yellow walk away with surprise written all over his face and in his body language. He looked at Crimson and found his so-called leader seemed just as surprised. None of the Psychos really stood up for each other anymore. It was kind of a "fend for yourself" attitude most of the time. Sure they would kind of defend each other against outsiders, but inside the group it had become pretty cut throat. To see Yellow standing up for anyone else, let alone Navy, came as quite a surprise to the other two.

Crimson seemed to shake off the surprise and glared at Navy, using body language to express his anger. "Watch your back punk."

"Watch your own." Navy snarled back, unafraid.

Crimson snorted and then turned and sauntered away in the direction he had come from. Navy watched him go before deciding to follow Yellow. He wanted to know what was going on with his teammate.

ZzZzZ

Dustin looked around as he finished explaining his dream. Hunter and Blake looked thunder struck at the idea of having spirit animals. Shane had a thoughtful look on his face while Tori just looked excited. Sensei was the only one with no reaction, so Dustin guessed he probably already knew most of what he'd said.

"How do we find out what our spirit animals are?" Hunter asked.

"Call to them." Dustin replied without thinking.

"How?"

Dustin frowned and scratched his head. "I'm not sure. Apparently I did it without thinking about it."

"Might I suggest you all meditate?" Sensei spoke up. At the groans he received he gave them all as firm of a look as he could in his guinea pig form. "If you clear your minds and open yourselves up they might come to you."

"Is it even necessary?" Hunter questioned. "I mean, will our animal spirits really help us?"

Cam, who had been listening in the whole time, keyed up footage of the battle against Psycho Blue and called the others to look. They all stared in shock as Dustin glowed yellow, the lion emblem on his chest standing out the most, and his visor appeared to have bright white eyes. He looked more intimidating than ever before.

"How'd you do that?" Blake asked, in awe of what he was seeing.

"I called him." Dustin replied. "I called to him for help and his power just seemed to flow into me. It's a totally different feeling than the Elemental power."

"What did it feel like?" Tori asked. She was completely intrigued with the idea of connecting with their spirit animals.

Dustin scratched his head and thought about how explain it. "It felt like...courage, strength, and energy totally pushed out the fear and pain. It made me feel like I could do anything."

"It is something worth looking into." Sensei said. "I would like for you all to try and connect with your spirit animals. They may grant you the power you need to defeat the Psycho Rangers."

The rangers bowed respectfully to Sensei and then split up to try to contact their spirit animals. Cam watched them go, feeling the intense need to help. He wanted to do more than just advise them in battle and go through files on the Psycho Rangers looking for a weakness. He wanted to participate in the fight, get his hands dirty, and be physically involved for once. But he knew it wasn't possible. His father denied him even the chance of fighting. He sighed deeply and shoved the feelings away, seating himself at the computer to continue looking for something to use against the Psychos.

Hunter seated himself Indian style under a tree not far from Ninja Ops. He settled down and let his muscles relax, while trying to clear his mind at the same time. It's not that he disliked meditation, but he didn't really enjoy it either. It was just something he had to do, though sometimes he found it actually helped. At the moment he couldn't even clear his mind. His thoughts had been in a whirl ever since the Psychos showed up. His mind was filled with worries and doubts as well as trying to process every fight to the fullest to find some kind of flaw. Clearing his mind was next to impossible, but he finally managed to silence his thoughts and instead focused on breathing slow and calm. Soon he was completely relaxed, not thinking of anything at all, just opening himself completely to the world around him. Finding nothing in the world around him he turned his attention inward to his inner sanctum.

The temple loomed tranquil and comforting as it always did. He found it symbolized his inner strength as well as his knowledge. The more he learned and grew as both a ninja and a person, the more impressive his temple became. The land around it was as green as ever, the trees blowing slightly in the breeze of the ever present storm clouds. His thunder power was always present, especially in his inner sanctum.

At first everything seemed normal and nothing unexpected, just the energizing feeling he got whenever close to a storm. Then he realized there was something else there, a shadowy figure on the edge of his consciousness. It stopped just short of entering his inner sanctum as if waiting for his approval. Hunter hesitated briefly before pushing feelings of 'welcome' at the figure. Instantly the figure prowled forward, just to the right of the temple. Hunter smiled with approval as a full-grown tiger stalked into view, yellow cat eyes smiling.

"I thought you'd never need my help." The tiger said in deep soothing voice. "I'm glad you have finally called to me."

"I do need your help. I'm sorry it's taken this long for me to connect with you." Hunter said, mostly in surprise of the tiger talking to him. Sure Dustin had mentioned his lion spirit talking to him, but that was in a dream.

"You haven't needed me." Tiger replied wisely. "But now that you do need me, know that I am always here."

ZzZzZ

Blake's inner sanctum had always been a wide-open grassy plain. He liked the freedom to roam and not feel limited in anyway. It was relaxing and peaceful. The thunder clouds that hung over head energized him in a way that was more than physical. It gave his very soul a boost of energy making him feel extremely good in mind, body, and spirit.

Off in the distance at the barrier of his inner sanctum he felt something waiting. Without a thought he reached out with welcoming arms and was instantly rewarded. A pure black horse galloped into view, easily crossing the distance between them. It stood before him proud and more beautiful than Blake ever imagined a horse to be. There was strength and power in the horse.

"Took you long enough." The horse said, tossing his head.

"You didn't exactly make yourself known to me." Blake countered.

The horse relented at that. "No, I haven't. Its a shame it took you needing me for us to finally connect."

"We can make up for lost time."

"When the crisis is over." Horse agreed. "For now, call me when you need me and I'll be there."

ZzZzZ

Forming deeper connections with their spirit animals was no problem for Tori or Shane. The Hawk and the Dolphin seemed prepared as they called. So, it was that they returned to the main room of Ninja Ops to find the rest of the group already there. Blake and Hunter were telling Dustin about their spirit animals and the stories were repeated to Shane and Tori. A new feeling of hope filled the room and the team was clearly feeling stronger than ever.

They were going to need it.

As expected the good mood was broken by the announcement that the Psycho Rangers were back. They were apparently looking for Kale's ship. Obviously they wanted Psycho Blue's gem back, but they weren't going to get it. The rangers morphed and streaked out to meet their enemies.

No words were exchanged when the rangers arrived. The Psychos attacked immediately, some with more ferocity than usual. Red wished he could get a hold of the Yellow Ranger, but he knew he had to stay with his ranger and do his job. He was doing his job well too, bashing the red ranger from one tree to the next. He laughed at his opponent's attempts and tried to brutally crush all hope.

Crimson was taking on Tori and Hunter at the same time and was having no problems handling them both. He made it a point to throw them into each other or cause them to hurt one another in some way. He used his shield to deflect Tori's water attack at Hunter and laughed as the Crimson Ranger was knocked forcefully into a tree. Tori tried to go to her teammate's side, but Crimson caught her with a shield bash straight to the face.

Not far away Navy was trying to fight Blake and look convincing without actually dealing any damage. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Blake. In fact, since Kale broke the spell his attitude toward Blake had completely changed. Instead of feeling the need to destroy, he suddenly felt a keen urge to protect his counterpart. Maybe it came from the guilt of trying to destroy him, but whatever it was it was definitely strong. However, unfortunately for him Blake wasn't having any of the same feelings and he was going all out. He wanted so badly to say something to Blake, but he knew that they would never be able to convincingly fight if Blake knew the truth.

Dustin realized pretty quickly that Yellow seemed distracted by something. He noticed the Psycho Ranger kept them in a position so that Yellow could see Psycho Navy. He found it odd, but took advantage of his enemy's apparent off day. The last time he'd fought Yellow the Psycho had wiped the floor with him and the rest of the team. He felt it was only fair to repay him.

Out of the corner of his eye Hunter saw Blake get the upper hand on Navy and knew that they had the opportunity to deliver a staggering blow to the Psychos. He got close enough to Tori to tell her to try and keep Crimson busy for a minute before he streaked over to Blake. His brother seemed to sense him and his intention and pulled out his Navy Antler at the same time he drew his Crimson Blaster. They put them together quickly and took aim at their target. Then Hunter pulled the trigger. The powerful energy orb streaked toward Navy, but seconds before impact he was shoved out of the way and the energy hit a different color all together.

Navy watched with surprise and horror as Yellow was struck by the Thunder Blaster's energy. The blast consumed Yellow for a moment, but he could hear his teammate's suit sparking before he ever saw it. By the time he could see Yellow clearly again his fellow Psycho was demorphed and lying limp on the ground. Navy stumbled to his feet and rushed over to his injured comrade, feeling his heart tug at the thought of losing another teammate. He was relieved when he saw Zadan's chest rising and falling, but he could tell it was quick and shallow. Neither was a good sign.

"Oh that's great." Crimson grumbled as he and Red took up flanking positions to keep the rangers away. "Kalix is going to love this."

"Shut up Terik." Navy hissed angrily.

Crimson would have lunged at Navy, but Red caught him by the arm. "Leave him alone."

"Why are you all suddenly protecting each other again!" Crimson yelled in frustration. "And why the hell did he jump in front of that blast for you? Didn't he threaten your life a week ago?"

"Shut up Terik." Red and Navy both snarled.

Crimson growled. "I'm going to teach you both to respect your leader. Get back to the ship." With that he transported away.

Red glowered at the rangers as they stood watching them. He glanced behind him at Navy and found himself just as confused as Crimson about this new development. Something was going on with Navy and Yellow and he wanted to know what. He found it much easier to deal with them when they hated each other. With a sigh he transported away.

Navy hesitated. He knew suffering waited for him in the ship for letting something like this happen. All he wanted to do was hold Zadan just a few more minutes before enduring more pain than he was already in. In the end the decision was taken away from him as he was transported away.

The rangers had watched it all in stunned silence. They were all surprised Yellow had taken the hit for Navy. Before that none of the Psychos had really seemed to care about one another. Yellow and Navy had even almost fought each other on several occasions. Apparently, everything was not what it seemed with the Psycho Rangers.


	11. Denial, Acceptance

Shane knew it was wrong to want to kick his own teammates, especially since they didn't know the truth about Navy, but that didn't stop him from wanting to knock Hunter and Blake's heads together. They didn't know the spell over Navy had been broken and had done what they normally would have done and taken the perfect opportunity to take out an enemy, but if they had succeeded they might have destroyed a valuable ally. He knew he shouldn't be mad at them for not knowing, but he still found himself getting angry. Still, it was Psycho Yellow that ended up getting hurt, much to everyone's surprise. He wondered if there was more he should be looking into about Psycho Yellow as well.

"One more Psycho Ranger out of our hair for a while." Hunter said triumphantly, sharing a high five with Blake.

"I still don't understand why Yellow would jump in front of the attack like that." Tori said. "Yellow and Navy always seem ready to beat the crap out of each other."

"I think it's safe to say there's more to the Psycho Rangers than you see." Cam stated, glancing over his shoulder at the gathered rangers. "They're human after all."

The rangers were silent for a moment as they all thought about that. Shane wasn't sure he liked the idea of enemies with depth. It made them unpredictable and made fighting them that much harder. He longed for the days of monsters with no depth to them that presented no real challenge. He knew being a ranger was going to be hard, but he never imagined it would get this bad or this confusing. Even after everything the Psychos had done he found it hard to want to fight them to the finish, knowing they were human and that the finish could mean death. Nothing seemed right anymore.

"Sensei, I know this is a long shot, but since the Psychos are probably licking their wounds can we please leave Ninja Ops for a little while?" Dustin asked. "We need to check in with our parents and I could seriously do with some pizza."

"Pizza." Shane and Tori echoed as if it was something to be cherished.

Sensei knew that if he confined the rangers much longer they were going to start going stir crazy. They needed fresh air and to be a part of the world again in a situation that didn't include them saving it. Most of all they needed to be teenagers again, if only for a few hours.

"Go, but be careful." Sensei said.

"Pizza first, then parents." Dustin suggested as the trio turned to leave. He stopped short and looked over his shoulder at the two thunder brothers. "Coming?"

Blake didn't hesitate, but Hunter stayed behind. He wasn't sure he was ready to hang out with the others. His emotions were still too raw. He needed to get them under control before he could be in a social setting with...him.

"You guys go. I want to talk to Kale about some things." Hunter lied. It wasn't a complete lie, he did want to learn more from Kale about other rangers and such, but that wasn't what he was going to do.

Blake gave his brother a knowing look. He knew Hunter wasn't going to talk to Kale and he knew why his brother didn't want to go with them. "You'll share what you learn with me right?"

"Always." Hunter promised, sending Blake a grateful look.

"Your loss." Dustin said, turning and following the others out of Ninja Ops.

Hunter sighed. "You have no idea."

ZzZzZ

"Just when I think you couldn't disappoint me any more you somehow manage to do it." Kalix growled, pacing in front of Psycho Navy. He stopped and stared through the visor to Navy's eyes. "Yet somehow, it pleases me that Psycho Yellow would even consider risking his life for yours. It shows an improvement of your teamwork, even if it ended up with him seriously injured. Whatever you two are doing keep it up. Maybe it will start to show in your fighting as well." He looked like he wanted to say more, but stopped. "You're dismissed."

Navy immediately turned and left the command room, heading straight for the infirmary. Dr. Radkee was bustling around the infirmary, mumbling in his thick accent that Navy found incredibly soothing. There was something about Dr. Radkee that was soothing in and of itself. He was a wholly good person, a normal human being, serving as the only doctor to an absolutely evil being. It almost made no sense to him, but he was thankful for the doctor's presence just the same.

"Damn bloody idiot." Navy heard Radkee mutter.

"Yeah, he's definitely an idiot." Navy spoke up.

Dr. Radkee stopped what he was doing and looked over his shoulder at Navy, who stared right back. "Oh aye, but one you should be grateful for."

"I am." Navy replied. He looked at Zadan's pale form. "Will he be alright?"

"Eventually." Radkee said. "His suit absorbed most of the energy, but a good amount got through and gave his body quite a shock. I'll wager he'll be up and annoying everyone relatively soon."

"Looking forward to it." Navy said sincerely.

"Y'know lad, he came to for a few moments and he asked for you."

Navy looked at his teammate, his surprise evident in his body language. "He's just full of surprises lately. What in the dark depths of space made him jump in front of me like that?"

"Oh come now, you're not really that thick are ya?" Radkee replied, too busy writing down readings to notice Navy looking at him. "It's been obvious to me since the first time you two stumbled into the infirmary all busted up and laughing at your failed attempts at riding a gorath."

Navy smiled despite himself at the memory. It had been foolish and stupid, but when they saw the gorath during training they'd both got the bright idea of coming back later to try and ride it. The massive hoofed animal had been armed with tusks as well as an impressive set of antlers and had NOT been amused with them trying to ride it. Navy had walked, well…stumbled away with a concussion and sprained wrist while Yellow had broken his arm and half of his ribs. The thought of their injuries brought him back to the present and what the doctor had said.

"What do you mean obvious? What's obvious?" Navy demanded.

Dr. Radkee smiled, his hazel eyes shining. "Well, your obliviousness is quite obvious for one. Zadan wouldn't take a shot like that for just anyone lad."

"I'm not going to try and fool myself Dr. Radkee. We lost our friendship on Jaldia along with anything more that could have been." Navy said, sadness tinting his voice.

"To the dark depths of space with that bloody Jaldia. I'd blow it to pieces if I weren't worried about who I might hurt in the process." Radkee grumbled. "The four of you were inseparable before you went there and Aurias was reaching out to Dariv. What happened on that god forsaken planet that tore you apart so horribly?"

"A lot of broken trust, some betrayal, and a lot of hateful words no one meant but can't take back." Navy replied.

"Well, you might have your chance to change things lad. Zadan is sending you a clear message." Radkee said, motioning toward the unconscious Psycho. "Don't let this chance pass ya up."

"How'd a good guy like you come to be in the service of a scumbag like Kalix?" Navy asked. Dr. Radkee was the one person on the ship he knew he could trust to be himself.

Dr. Radkee frowned, eyes darting to the floor. "That's a long story, not particularly one I care to think about."

"You used to be a ranger, didn't you?" Navy asked, plowing on anyway.

"Aye, I was the Chief Medical Officer and the Blue Battle Ranger." Radkee said. "Kalix captured me and used me to test his power draining machine. Took the Power Ranger right out of me."

"Then why are you working for him?"

"I don't really have much of a choice lad. He's got my morpher stowed away somewhere and I've nowhere to go even if I did manage to get it and get away. Above all that he has two of my teammates locked away in his holding cells." The doctor replied. He looked at his hands for a moment, hazel eyes brimming with emotions he had tried to hide. When he looked up again his features were carefully schooled again. "Niko, you have to be careful. It'll not take much for them to catch on."

Navy was slightly surprised by the statement, but it quickly passed. Dr. Radkee was a very observant man and he knew that the doctor had probably known the spell was broken from the moment he stepped into the infirmary. It made him appreciate the doctor that much more.

"I'm being careful." Navy assured him. He glanced briefly at Zadan, and then back at Radkee again. "Let me know when he wakes up."

"Aye, you'll be the first to know."

ZzZzZ

"So wait a minute, Hunter was really mad at you?" Dustin asked, unable to keep the surprise out of his voice. "He gave you the cold shoulder?"

"Actually, he gave me the cold shoulder until I tried to talk to him. Then things just got out of control." Shane replied. "It took me taking an attack meant for him before he forgave me."

"It wasn't his place to be mad at you in the first place." Dustin said. "You know I don't blame you, right? It was my choice to jump in front of you. If you had pushed me out of the way it would have defeated the purpose of my heroic act."

Heroic act? Now that was an opening if Shane had ever heard one. "Oh, so you take one little blast meant for me and now you're a hero?"

"I also took out Psycho Blue."

"Not all by yourself." Tori spoke up. "I seem to recall playing some part even if it was mostly just lying on the ground in pain."

Blake smiled as he listened to the three Winds playfully tease one another. It was so good to see them acting normal again. He knew things were far from being over and that they were just getting a short break from the Psychos, but it was enough. Their good mood just seemed infectious and it made Blake all the more glad Dustin was awake. He was so much more important to the team than he would probably ever know. At first Blake had wondered how such a goof had become not only a ninja but a ranger as well. It had taken him a little while to really see the vital role Dustin played within the group, but now that he saw it he respected Dustin more than ever.

"Okay, so I'm still curious. Blake, why was Hunter so made at Shane?" Dustin asked, catching Blake off guard.

Blake floundered for a moment as he tried to figure out what to say to that. He couldn't very well betray his brother's feelings, but at the same time he didn't want to lie to his friend. He hated being put in the middle.

"I don't know, maybe you should talk to him about that Dustin." Blake finally managed to reply. He mentally patted himself on the back for coming up with a neutral response.

"Talk to Hunter about his feelings? Am I the only one who thinks that's a death sentence?" Dustin asked, looking at his other two friends.

Blake frowned. "You're exaggerating. Hunter's a private person, but I think if you want the answers to your questions you're going to have to ask him."

ZzZzZ

"I'm not staying here and you can't make me." Zadan growled. His reddish-brown eyes glared daggers at Dr. Radkee as the other man pinned him quite easily with one hand.

"Well lad, I think you're wrong about both. You are staying here, at least until you're strong enough that I can't pin ya with one hand." Dr. Radkee replied. "So, relax and make yourself comfortable."

"Damnit, you suck." Zadan huffed childishly.

Dr. Radkee smirked slightly. "Aye, sometimes, but really, do you think it wise to insult someone who can save you from a lot of pain?"

"I'm not in pain."

"Aye, at the moment." There was a teasing tone to the voice, yet also a slight bit of a threat. "You've caused me enough pain in the past lad, don't push your luck."

"You're a doctor, you wouldn't be able to sit back and watch me suffer." Zadan retorted.

Radkee's eyes glinted slightly. "Maybe then I've been around you lot too long."

"You're an evil man."

"You'd better hope not."

That silenced Zadan and he watched the doctor checking his readings. He hated being in the infirmary. The pain he could take, the suffering he was used to, but being confined to a bed was worse than anything else. He was young and had way too much pent up energy to be laying in a bed for any length of time. Unless it was a serious injury he never wanted to be in the infirmary, but obviously someone either didn't know that or thought he had been hurt seriously enough to warrant a visit to the good doctor.

"Niko was in to see you earlier." Radkee commented, breaking the silence.

Zadan looked over at the doctor. "He was? What'd he say? Was he worried about me?"

"Oh aye, he was worried about ya. He wouldn't have been here if he wasn't." Radkee replied. "I'm sorry to say neither Dariv or Terik has come to check on you."

"I didn't expect them to." Zadan replied, though deep down he really was hurt. It just added to his reasons for hating the two older Psychos.

Radkee sighed and lowered his handheld data pad. "Look, you don't have to play tough with me. I've seen you at your most vulnerable moments. I don't have any expectations of you or want you to be something you're not. I think it would do you a world of good to be yourself for a few minutes."

"When did you become a psychiatrist?" Zadan grumbled.

"On my planet we recognized the connection between psychological wellbeing and physical wellbeing." Radkee replied. "All doctors were trained in both areas."

"I don't like anyone playing with my head."

"I'm not playing with your bloody head. I just want you to do yourself some bloody good for once." Radkee ranted. "I can't do everything for you, y'know. A lot of your physical improvement will depend on your mental wellbeing."

"You're giving me a headache."

Zadan hid his grin as his statement sent the usually well-tempered doctor into a rage. He counted it as pay back for how gleefully Dr. Radkee had given him the shot in the ass when he'd contracted the RX-232 virus on one of the team's training missions. He owed him for a lot more and he was going to start cashing in. Besides, it made him feel better and that is what the good doctor wanted. He smirked as Radkee stomped off to check on Aurias.

"How is she?" Zadan asked. Not that he really cared. At least, that's what he tried to convince himself.

"Better. I wager she'll wake within the next few days." Radkee answered. "That's if there isn't a psychological aspect to what happened."

"Why would that keep her from waking up?"

Radkee gave him an annoyed glare. "Has everything I've said gone in one ear and out the other? There's always a mental aspect to everything. Talking to you is little better than those bloody lizards."

"Now I'm insulted."

"Oh just go back to sleep." Radkee groaned. "You're so much easier to deal with that way."

"You're the one keeping me here doc." Zadan reminded him, happy to throw that back at him.

Radkee gave him a tired look. "Do you really think you're in any condition to withstand Kalix's ire? He's not a bit happy by what happened lad. I'm keeping you here for your own safety."

Zadan opened his mouth to argue that he could take whatever Kalix gave him, but caught himself. He was getting too arrogant if that thought was crossing his mind. He had no doubt Kalix could come up with creative and painful punishments they hadn't seen yet. Instantly he became grateful for the doctor's care and thoughtfulness. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to stay in the infirmary a little while.

ZzZzZ

Finding Hunter was easy enough. The Crimson Thunder Ranger hadn't made it very far from Ninja Ops. Hunter was sitting with his back to a tree, his eyes closed as if meditating. Dustin didn't want to disturb the Thunder's peacefulness, but he registered the slight tensing in his teammate's body and knew Hunter sensed him. He thought about backing off, but something told him he wouldn't be able to rest until he found the answers to his questions.

"Are you just going to stand there and stare?" Hunter's voice seemed to crackle through the silence. One piercing blue eye opened half way. "What do you want?"

Dustin stumbled for a minute, before he gathered his courage. "Why were you so mad at Shane?"

Both of Hunter's eyes snapped open at the question. For a moment unchecked emotions raged in the blue depths before he controlled them again. Oh he had not prepared for this at all. He hadn't expected Dustin to confront him so soon, he was hardly ready to deal with his emotions let alone admit anything. He knew his best bet was to tell a half-truth and see if it got him anywhere.

"He froze up. It made me mad." Hunter replied. "You got hurt because he froze up."

"I got hurt because I placed myself in front of him." Dustin replied. He was deadly serious, showing the intelligence he tended to hide. He moved just a little bit closer as he continued. "It would have defeated the whole purpose of me jumping in front of him if he had pushed me out of the way."

"You were already hurt from that Yellow jerk. He could have taken that hit better than you. It put you in a coma." Hunter argued.

"Which brings me back to my point that it was not your place to be angry at Shane." Dustin said. He eyed Hunter, knowing there was more than what his friend was admitting. "Besides, since when are you angry on my behalf?"

_Since I realized I liked you as more than a friend_. Hunter thought, but didn't dare to say it. "Since you weren't conscious to be angry for yourself."

"That didn't give you the right to make my best friend suffer more than he already was." Dustin chided. "God only knows how much he was beating himself up without you adding your own bashing in."

"Look," Hunter ground out. "I already apologized to Shane. We're cool. What's the big deal?"

"Tori, Shane, and myself are best friends. I can understand Tori being mad at Shane, but she wasn't. I could understand Blake being mad because I think I'm closer to him than you. But you were the one mad and I can't understand it." Dustin mused. He wasn't angry anymore. He was curious. "We're not that close. You've pretty much kept yourself distanced from everyone except Blake. I just don't understand why you were so mad."

"You're my teammate, that gives me a right to care."

"I never doubted you cared Hunter. Teammates care about each other." The Earth ninja sighed. "But from what I hear you were borderline hostile with Shane and that seems like more than just teammate behavior."

"We're friends too, right?"

Dustin stared at Hunter as if he'd said the stupidest thing ever. He moved to sit just in front of Hunter so that they could see eye to eye. "Duh. What gave you the idea that we're not?"

"Well, you've been making it sound that we're nothing but teammates. I thought we were friends and friends have a right to be mad." Hunter went on. He hoped Dustin accepted that and let it go. They were coming close to touching on deeper feelings than he was ready to talk about.

Dustin eyed his friend again. He thought he caught the hint of hidden emotions, ones he easily recognized. "Actually, your behavior sounded more like a mad boyfriend."

_Oh crap_! Hunter thought, looking up at Dustin with a clearly alarmed expression. How had he become so easy to read? He quickly schooled his features back to impassive and locked his feelings behind his wall. There was no hiding the way he had reacted. He knew Dustin had seen the truth then and was surprised the Earth ninja wasn't running away.

"Alright, I was mad because I thought Shane had pretty much stood by and watched you almost get yourself killed. I was angry because...I realized I really liked you and I was scared of losing you." Hunter was nearly rambling, though his expression remained as neutral as he could make it.

Dustin was nodding as if he had expected that the whole time. He'd had his suspicion before ever coming to speak with Hunter, but as soon as they started talking he knew the truth without Hunter coming out and saying it. "I can understand that, I guess. Not the whole really liking me part, but the part about being mad at Shane for that reason."

"You're not mad?"

"Why? Because you might like me as more than a friend?" Dustin asked with a raised eyebrow. "Dude, I am so not close minded like that."

"Oh." Hunter hesitated. "Do you..."

"Feel the same? I can't really say yes or no." Dustin answered. He stopped to think about that. He'd come to terms with being bisexual already, so it was nothing new or frightening to have feelings towards a guy. He thought Hunter was good looking and the whole "pissed off at the world" thing kind of worked for him. But Dustin knew that neither of them was ready for any kind of commitment, at least not while the Psychos were still around. "How about we just go with the flow and see what happens?"

"That works for me." Hunter said and he felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"Now, I really should go talk to my mom." Dustin said.

"Have fun."

"Probably not." Dustin mumbled. He pushed to his feet."See ya soon."

"Bye."

ZzZzZ

"Back off." Navy growled, as Crimson tried to corner him outside the infirmary. Dr. Radkee had informed him of Psycho Yellow's awakening. "I'm not scared of you Terik. You can't intimidate me."

"You're becoming a liability runt." Crimson taunted. "Instead of just getting yourself hurt you're getting your teammates hurt too."

"Not that you care, right?" Navy retorted. "You only care about yourself, you self-serving asshole. At least I care that my friend is hurt because of me."

Crimson let the insult slide and focused on the one word he hadn't expected to hear. "Friend? Since when are you friends? Last time I checked you hated each other."

"Since when are you any good at paying attention to anything other than yourself?" Navy sneered. "You've only looked out for yourself from the very beginning."

"That's bull and you know it." Crimson snarled. "I have a tattoo on my arm that says otherwise."

"You have a tattoo on your face too, but does that mean anything?"

"You're avoiding my question." Crimson said, diverting the focus back on Navy. "You and Zadan haven't been friends since Jaldia when whatever happened between you two."

Navy stared at his teammate. "You don't even remember what happened? I talked you about it."

"Was that before you stabbed me in the back?" Crimson growled, his anger back. "Are you surprised I forgot after what you did?"

"I only did what Dariv told me to do. He was the leader, remember?"

"You're a gutless worm with no backbone to stand up for what you believe in." Crimson sneered. "You could have stood up to him and supported your _friend_, but instead you folded and betrayed me."

"You were wrong Terik and we were in a position that failure meant death." Navy reasoned. "If we had supported you we would all be dead."

"That's not the point."

"I'm not sure there is a point." Dr. Radkee spoke up. "But you two are going to have to take your argument away from my infirmary."

Crimson growled and shoved past Navy, storming down the hall. Navy watched him go, feeling a little pain at his teammate's hurtful jabs. He shoved it away along with the painful memories and turned to follow Radkee into the lab. He was a little surprised to find the doctor watching him carefully, a thoughtful look on his face. He knew what Radkee wanted to know. He wanted to know what exactly he and Crimson had been arguing about.

"Niko."

"Not now, please." Navy cut off the doctor off.

Radkee nodded, wisely backing off. "Whenever you're ready lad."

"Come to gloat that you're walking around while I'm stuck in bed?" Zadan's voice killed whatever response Navy might have had toward Radkee's offer.

Navy turned to look at his injured teammate and took a few steps toward the bed. "Of course not."

"Oh." Zadan sounded slightly disappointed. "That would have been much easier to deal with."

"Do you want to fight?" Navy asked. "Because I don't."

"Of course I don't want to fight." Zadan grumbled. "But it's more familiar now. More comfortable."

"More comfortable than talking like friends?"

"Are we friends?"

There was a moment of silence and the hesitation killed Zadan. He felt his heart sink a little. He was tired of the hateful world he found himself in and he really just needed one person he could have a positive relationship with, friends or otherwise. He had hoped that person would be Niko, even after everything they had been through and the hateful things they'd spewed at each other on Jaldia and in the times after. He really just wanted to move on, forget and forgive, and have his best friend back.

"Why did you jump in front of me?" Navy asked and for a moment Zadan was thrown off by the question, but he recovered quick.

"Why do you think? You're not completely oblivious are you?"

Navy shot a glare over his shoulder at Dr. Radkee as the older man snorted. He then turned his attention back to Zadan. "How can you be ready to forgive and forget so easily?"

"Believe me it's not easy." Zadan retorted. "We've both said some pretty ugly things, but I can't live like this anymore. I can't pretend to hate you when despite everything you've done I still l."

Navy looked at him, his helmet hiding his shock. No, Zadan wasn't about to say the L-word. There was no way. Too much had been said, too much had been done, there was no way those feelings survived everything. He realized by the horror filled look on Zadan's face that he'd said something, or almost said something, he hadn't meant to. Painful silence filled the infirmary.

"Zadan."

"Forget I said anything." Zadan snapped quickly. He didn't want the pain of rejection. "I'm tired."

Navy started to argue, but stopped himself. Zadan was closing back up again and if he said anything else he might close up completely. Instead he simply nodded sadly and turned to leave. He caught Dr. Radkee shaking his head at them before he left the infirmary.

"Bloody idiots."


	12. Bound In Hatred

"You're a horrible leader! So far under your command Zadan has been injured and Aurias lost her Gem!" Psycho Red roared. "And you let the Knight Ranger escape!"

"I was framed! And it's not my fault if the rangers take advantage of their weakness!" Psycho Crimson yelled in replied.

The two Psycho rangers stood only a few inches apart in the middle of the hall where they'd collided. At first there had just been some general snippiness, but it had quickly grown to more. They were yelling insults and accusations back and forth. The Lizarians that had been walking the hall quickly turned down other halls or went in the opposite direction. Even the emotionless Deder clones diverted away from the fight. It was obvious to anyone who saw them that it was going to get physical real quick.

"As leader you should keep your teammates out of situations they can't handle!"

"You mean baby-sit the weaklings!" Crimson sneered. "I'm no babysitter!"

"You're no leader either!"

"I can still kick your ass!"

"That doesn't make you a leader!"

"Yeah? Well you're not much of a leader either! You let Jaldia happen!"

Oh, that was a low blow and they both knew it. Crimson just barely had time to tense before Red practically tackled him to the floor. Crimson managed to get his feet in Red's gut and sent him flying across the hall. Red slammed into a wall, but was up instantly going at Crimson again. The two went at each other with a fierceness that had never been there before. Most of their strikes were blocked, but when they did land hits they were devastating and definitely doing damage under the suits.

Red landed a kick in Crimson's gut that sent his rival skidding down the hall with sparks trailing him. He leapt into the air and meant to bring both of his feet down on Crimson's chest, but Crimson rolled while sweeping out a leg that knocked him flat on his back. Red rolled to the side as Crimson lunged at him and swung his body around to kick at Crimson's side. He hit nothing but air as Crimson rolled away and to his feet. Red flipped to his feet and was caught with a blow just under his chin that sent him flying back into a wall, leaving a dent behind. He ducked away and listened with satisfaction as Crimson's fist hit solid metal with a bang.

"Y'know, if you just trusted my lead, most of what happened on Jaldia wouldn't have." Red said as he backed a few steps away from his opponent.

Crimson didn't bother with a response. He pulled his shield and lunged at Red with the intent of bashing his head in. Red dodged to the side and landed a round house kick in the small of Crimson's back. Crimson spun and lashed out with a bolt of searing energy. Red swatted it away with his saber, which he had pulled seconds before, and they both completely ignored the hole the energy left in the wall. They went at each other with aggressiveness that had been building up since Jaldia. Oh, they'd had a few rumbles, but this was the big battle they'd been building up to.

"I don't trust you to make dinner, what makes you think I'd trust you with my life?" Crimson growled as he pinned Red to the wall.

Red growled at the reminder of their first argument after joining Kalix's recruits, it was over who cooked dinner no less. He stuck his foot behind Crimson's and then shoved forward with all his strength. Crimson was forced to take a step back, but the foot caught him and he fell onto his back. Red tried to pounce on him, saber ready to stab through his suit, but Crimson used his shield to fling Red away. Red flew right through the hole they had created and Crimson could hear some smashing sounds and chuckled as he got to his feet.

"ENOUGH!"

Crimson flinched at the roar and barely had time to register Kalix was in front of him before pain exploded through his head and the world flashed white. When he came back to himself he was laid out of the ground with the reptilian man standing over him, glowering with a look that would have killed a lesser being. He grimaced as Kalix kicked him once for good measure, before the general turned his attention on Red as several Lizarians dragged him back out of the hole.

"I've had enough of this foolish fighting. I could choose to appoint a leader, but that won't solve this problem." Kalix rumbled. "I have a better idea and a most fitting punishment. Deder."

Crimson glowered at the armored being as Deder joined Kalix's side, a pair of manacles in hand. Crimson opened his mouth to argue, but didn't get a chance. Deder moved swiftly and the next thing Crimson knew he was shackled to his worst enemy. The day just wasn't getting any better.

"Master--."

"Until you two can work together as a team you'll stay shackled together." Kalix growled, cutting off any pathetic whining from the two. "Have fun."

"Master--."

And just like that the two were shackled together and on Earth. Red groaned. Things just couldn't get any worse.

ZzZzZ

The rangers were sparring quite aggressively as they waited for something to happen. All of them had woken with a feeling that something was going to happen. None of them had been able to agree whether it was going to be good or bad. However, they all agreed it would probably include a battle and decided to spar to warm up. Strangely enough it was Dustin and Hunter against Tori, Shane, and Blake. Still, the two were holding their own against the other three

Cam sat at the computer reading through Psycho Blue's file. It hardly seemed worth it now that she was out of the picture, but something deep down told him they hadn't seen the last of her yet. He was always amazed with how professional and detailed the reports were. It was like someone without any emotional attachment, or no emotions at all, was making the reports.

It was like clockwork. As soon as he really started to get into what he was reading the Psychos had to show up. Only it was just Red and Crimson and they were shackled together. Cam stared at the screen for a moment before calling out to the rangers. It was too good to be true. There was no way the Psychos would be able to fight as a team like that. He had a brief flashback of Tori, Dustin, and Shane in almost the same position when they first became rangers. Two of the most powerful Psychos were basically being handed to the rangers on a silver platter.

"This is perfect." Shane said, echoing Cam's thoughts. "We can take them both out at the same time."

"Be careful rangers, they are still dangerous." Sensei warned.

"Yes Sensei." The group replied. The rangers then morphed and streaked off to meet their opponents.

ZzZzZ

"This is all your fault!" Red roared, jerking his arm toward himself.

"My fault? You attacked me!" Crimson bellowed in reply, jerking his arm back toward himself.

"You insulted my leadership when everyone knows I'm ten times the leader you'll ever be!"

"Tell that to Walker." Crimson hissed, then mentally winced. Walker was another sore subject with the whole team.

Red was seething with fury, his whole body shuddering. "Asshole!"

Crimson used his free hand to block Red's wild swing and tried to use his shackled fist in return. Red jerked his arm to the side causing Crimson to stumble right into a kick. Crimson growled and was going to tackle his rival, but stopped when he saw the rangers arrive. Red and Crimson tried to fall into fighting stances, but they each wanted their shackled arm in a different position and it caused a brief scuffle before they both agreed to leave the arms in question at their sides. They faced the rangers with as much unity as they could while still wanting to throttle each other.

"Opportunistic little weasels." Crimson sneered. "We weren't even causing trouble this time."

"You don't cause trouble, you are trouble." Hunter replied. "And apparently you're now in a lot of trouble.'

Crimson growled. "Don't get cocky ranger, I can still take you."

"Oh yeah? Bring it." Hunter taunted. He knew what was going to happen.

Crimson lunged forward. The short chain between his manacle and Red's manacle went taut. Crimson was snapped backward, while his momentum jerked Red forward. Both Psychos landed on the ground with dull thumps. Red scrambled to his feet and used the connection between him and Crimson to pull him up. With a growl he grabbed Crimson's throat.

"Don't do that again." Red snarled.

"Or what? You'll tell Kalix?" Crimson sneered.

"I'll show you what happened to Marxus."

Crimson shivered at that and strangely enough didn't say anything else. With a satisfied nod, Red turned his attention back to the rangers, who had been watching the whole thing. Crimson gave his teammate a wary look before he too focused on the rangers.

"Together." Red growled.

"Yeah right."

The two charged the rangers at almost the same time, but it was a disaster from the beginning. They managed to use the chain between them to clothesline Shane to the ground, but that's where their cooperation ended. Crimson swung a punch with his free hand that Hunter blocked and then tried to use his other hand to block a kick from Blake, but that jerked Red's arm. Red had been trying to block a kick to his head by Tori, but with his arm jerked back the kick landed with teeth rattling force. He fell to his back, the connection dragging Crimson off balance. A kick to Crimson's chest put him on the ground too. They both managed to get to their feet in unison, but each tried to go a different way and ended up lying on the ground again.

"Stop that!" They yelled at each other.

"Y'know, they make a great comical pair." Dustin commented.

Red heard him and growled deep in his throat. He shoved to his feet, ignoring the pull on his wrist, and threw an energy bolt at Dustin. With a cartwheel Dustin easily dodged the attack and snapped off a few ninja beams in reply. Red batted them away with his one hand, and then grunted in surprise as a kick landed to the side of his head. He started to stumble, but the connection to Crimson pulled taut again and he caught his footing. He turned in time to block Shane's second kick and swept the ranger's feet out from under him. With a growl he looked toward Crimson, who had yet to get up.

"You could help, y'know!"

Crimson shrugged the mocking in his voice unmistakable as he replied. "You look like you're doing a bang up job by yourself." He said something in a language the rangers didn't understand.

"That's it!" Red roared and lunged at Crimson.

Crimson smirked and planted his feet in Red's chest, remembering their connection a second too late as he launched his opponent over his head. He yelped in slight pain as the power behind his toss caused Red to go flying and the connection dragged him along for the ride. A spark of pain shot from his wrist down his arm as he and Red both lay on the ground. Red recovered first and pinned his teammate to the ground, hands clenched around Crimson's neck. Red was swearing fast and furious in the same language Crimson had, his hold tightening with every word.

"That wasn't my fault!" Crimson protested as if his teammate wasn't trying to strangle him. He kneed Red in the groin and shoved the other Psycho away when the grip loosened around his neck. "I told you not to open that compartment, but you did anyway! The epidemic was your fault!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I must have missed when you told me opening the compartment would unleash the worst plague to hit our planet in 10,000 years! Oh wait, that's because you didn't say that!"

The rangers watched, wondering if they should take advantage of their opponents' distraction. Still, they were getting a better idea of the inner workings of the Psychos without having to read the files about them. And if they were lucky the two Psychos were going to destroy each other.

"I thought telling you not to open it for your own good was warning enough!" Crimson yelled back. "You were an enemy soldier in enemy territory, what did you expect!"

"Not a plague designed to kill half the people on our planet!" Red barked. "How could your government do something so vile!"

"We were getting desperate!"

"So were we, but we didn't engineer a virus to kill millions!"

The two stopped for a moment, both panting from nearly screaming at each other. Red felt the eyes staring at him first and turned to glare at the rangers. Crimson followed his lead as they both remembered they had an audience and who exactly the audience was. They both got to their feet and took fighting stances. Crimson charged, but Red stood still and flexed his arm, waiting for the impending jerk of the chain. The chain snapped to it's fullest and Crimson gave a soft yelp of pain as his wrist jerked backward and he was on his back again. He'd lost track of how many times he'd been on his back during the fight. He scrambled to his feet and lunged at Red.

"Asshole!"

Red caught Crimson with a side kick to the ribs and braced himself enough to withstand the jerk and looked down at Crimson with disdain written in his body language. Crimson got to his feet again, but didn't make a move at Red. They stood at a stand off as the rangers watched from a few feet away.

_Rangers first. Then I'll deal with you. _Red growled mentally. He smiled suddenly, a devious plot forming. _We'll kidnap the girl._

_I'm the leader, I make decisions. _Crimson snarled. _But you have a good idea._ He projected his suggestion for a plan of attack and Red agreed.

Without any kind of warning they attacked at the same time. The rangers were barely able to prepare before they were under heavy attack. The two Psychos were still struggling slightly to fight with one arm incapacitated, but they managed not to mess each other up too bad. And then they struck so quick Tori barely had time to widen her eyes. The next thing the Rangers knew the chain was wrapped around Tori's throat and she was trapped between the two Psychos with her feet barely still touching the ground.

"Tori!" Blake tried to lunge at them, but Hunter grabbed his arm. At his slight movement the two Psychos lifted Tori a little higher and she started making choking noises. "Let her go!"

"You took Psycho Blue from us, so we're taking your Blue Ranger." Red said, revenge dripping on every word.

"Later losers." Crimson sneered.

And with that the two Psychos vanished, taking Tori with them.

ZzZzZ

Zadan was thinking. That's all he could do while he was in the infirmary. He talked to Dr. Radkee some, but that just turned into the doctor trying to get him to talk about deeper feelings. He was more comfortable thinking about them rather than talking about them. His deeper feelings were a confusing mess of changing emotions. He wasn't sure what exactly he felt for Niko, but he knew what he'd almost said.

Love. That was an emotion he never thought he'd feel again. Something told him he wasn't supposed to feel it. But he did and for the one person he'd never seen coming. Oh, he and Niko had hit it off pretty quick. They'd bonded together because it had all been overwhelming in the beginning. Twelve people, mostly strangers, of varying ages were thrown together into a rigorous training regime with brutal trainers who expected more than any of them could give at first. Zadan could still remember the first time he'd actually spoken to Niko on Hadis, where all five hundred potential recruits were dropped.

God that place had been Hell. They'd both originally tried to kill each other to survive, but when another man got in on the game they formed an alliance and took him out. They'd stayed together after that, surviving by any means they could for the next five days as the number of recruits on the planet dropped to more acceptable numbers. When they'd been rounded up and returned to a more civilized world they still stuck together and were placed on the same team and their friendship had grown from there.

He wanted those times back. More than anything he wanted everything to go back to how it had been when they'd been training. Trying to ride goraths, tag teaming Venn and Samous when the two big bullies thought they could get a one up on Niko, those were things he desperately wished for again. He knew that those innocent times were gone now that they were Psycho Rangers and bound to duty, but he still wished for them. Most of all he just wanted Niko. He'd settle with being friends but he found he wanted more, more than he should have. And it hurt because he was pretty sure he'd been blowing Niko off too much for things to be reconciled.

"You're thinking about him again." Dr. Radkee's soft accented voice broke into Zadan's thoughts.

Zadan shot him a vaguely annoyed look. "How do you know?"

"You've got that look about ya."

"What look?" The Psycho Ranger was getting even more annoyed.

Radkee grinned. "That sparkle in your eye you always get when you're around Niko. It's not visible so much anymore because you're always morphed, but I'm sure it's there."

"You're mistaken doctor."

"Like hell I am. You bloody idiots are the only ones who can't see it." Radkke retorted. "You're both too oblivious to see what's right in front of ya."

"What are you talking about? He hesitated in calling me friend. As I recall he didn't even answer when I asked him if we were friends. How can we be anything more if we aren't even friends?" Zadan rambled furiously.

The doctor sighed and put down the datapad he had been looking at. He looked at Zadan with an expression that clearly stated how much of an idiot he thought the young man was being.

"He's afraid of being hurt."

"I wouldn't hurt him."

"Aye now, but a week ago I heard you threaten his life, twice in one day." Dr. Radkee said. "If you want his trust you've got to earn it lad."

"He's never been scared of anything before." Zadan argued. "He's brave."

"And he got hurt, deeply from what I gather." The doctor sighed and brushed a hand over his face. "I don't know what happened on Jaldia and no one will tell me, I understand it's a raw subject, but I do know that a lot of bonds were shattered and some hearts were broken. Yours included."

"What does that---."

"That has everything to do with it you—" The doctor cut himself off before he insulted his patient. "You've both got to deal with what you've said and done both on Jaldia and after before you can hope to move on. You're not incapable of talking like adults, being a Psycho Ranger doesn't change that. Talk to him."

As if on cue Niko himself burst into the infirmary, unmorphed. "Have you heard what happened to Terik and Dariv?"

Zadan and Dr. Radkee both shook their heads.

"Kalix has shackled them together until they can work as a team." He burst out laughing at that.

Zadan smirked. "Like that'll ever happen. Those two have hated each other since way before we started training."

"They'll never get along. They'll probably kill each other first."

"Good riddance."

Niko looked over at him, the laughter coming to an abrupt halt. His blue-green eyes widened just slightly and Zadan was very confused by the look he was being given. He quirked an eyebrow at Niko, waiting for the younger boy to say something.

"You don't mean that do you? You wouldn't be happy if they killed each other, would you?" Niko asked. There was something in his voice that sounded a warning in Zadan's mind.

Zadan didn't reply, simply studied his teammate carefully. A week ago he was sure that Niko would have been dancing a happy jig if Red and Crimson killed each other. While his teammate's behavior had slowly been changing since their arrival at Earth, it seemed as though his attitude had taken a sudden twist. It was almost as if Niko expected them to be a team, like the rangers were.

Then it struck him, like a slap to the face. The spell over Niko, the one Kalix had the sorcerer Go'kua cast, had been broken. Which meant it had been Niko to let the Knight Ranger escape and on top of that it probably hadn't been an accident. Niko was a traitor. His duty required he turn him in to Kalix...but his heart screamed at him not to do it. Then he would be just as much of a traitor. At the same time Kalix was doing a lot to piss him off lately and it wasn't like he was siding with the rangers by not telling Kalix that Niko was a traitor. Oh what a mess he was finding himself in.

"Zadan?" Niko's voice brought him back to reality.

"What?" He snapped, feeling a little anger toward his traitorous teammate. Niko was putting him in a very tough position, even if he didn't know it.

Niko seemed to recoil, drawing away from Zadan's bed a little. "Sorry, I—never mind. You're probably tired."

Zadan watched him go, ignoring the exasperated look Dr. Radkee shot his way. Not for the first time since being recruited by Kalix he found himself wondering why things couldn't be simple.


	13. Truth About Kalix

To say Tori was terrified was an understatement. Trapped between the two bigger Psychos she could only stumble along with them as they led her through the ship. They hadn't said a word since arriving and that in and of itself was unnerving. Even in her highly freaked out state of mind she managed to get a good look around her surroundings, but found that there was nothing to distinguish one hall from the next. If she managed to get loose she'd probably get lost. It was all cold steel walls and floors with black doors offering the only change of color.

"Now see here! The boy can barely stand on his own he's in no condition--."

"You're overstepping your boundaries _Doctor_ and I suggest you watch yourself."

Tori looked down the hall at the commotion and saw a large creature that looked like a raptor straight out of Jurassic Park, only a little more humanoid in its posture, glaring at a man standing in a doorway. She guessed that it was an infirmary of some sort considering the raptor thing had called the man doctor.

Crimson snickered. "Sounds like Kalix is ready to give Zadan an earful."

"If Dr. Radkee doesn't get it first." Red agreed. Neither of them so much as acknowledged that they still had Tori between them. "Kalix should get rid of the man -once a ranger always a ranger with or without his powers."

"Not that I want to agree with you but---."

Crimson was cut off as Kalix noticed them. "Take her to the command room, I'll be there momentarily."

"Yes Master." The two Psychos replied. But they didn't move for a minute; they both wanted to see what was going to happen between Dr. Radkee and Kalix.

"I don't care who you are. The boy isn't going to be any good to you dead and if you do anything to him now you could kill him." Radkee snarled, his accent getting thicker with his anger. "Especially if you use that electric prod of yours on him."

"I can find someone else to be my doctor Kardan. I don't need you." Kalix threatened.

"I'd like to see you find someone your Psycho Rangers will let work on them." Radkee replied confidently. "They trust me."

Kalix's face twisted with rage and he lashed out with a punch that sent the doctor flying. "You're right, I can't kill you, but don't think you're beyond punishment either." He then turned and saw the Psychos still standing there watching with the Blue Ranger caught between them. "I told you to go to the command room! Now!"

At that the two Psychos were moving again. Tori was amazed that they listened to Kalix at all. She could already tell that the reptile man used intimidation and threats to control those around him. The Psychos were so obviously stronger than him she wondered if that was something they just weren't aware of at all. She wondered if it would even be a good idea for them to know that. Things could get much worse if Kalix's leash on them was broken. Or it could get better, but Tori doubted that.

"Think Kalix is going to torture her?" Red asked suddenly. Tori knew immediately that he was talking about her.

"Possibly, but it's not like she knows something he doesn't."

"She knows where their little hideout is…possibly where the Knight Ranger has hidden himself."

"Ah yes, well then he probably will torture her." Crimson amended. He laughed to himself as he felt the Blue Ranger tremble at their words.

Red made a sound of agreement. "After that maybe he'll let us have some fun."

_Oh god_. Tori didn't want to know what their idea of fun was. She knew that it wouldn't be fun for her and would probably include a lot of pain.

"He might just drain her power and lock her away with the rest of the ranger rejects he has." Crimson said. He was enjoying the fear they were putting into their prisoner.

They entered the command room and were stopped by a white armored being Tori had never seen before. The helmet had no features at all and she wondered how the thing could see, but it was almost as tall as Crimson and though it was hard to judge muscles through the all encompassing armor she thought it was probably pretty well built. Everything on the ship seemed pretty well muscled, even the doctor she had just seen looked like he had pressed some serious weights in the past.

"Get out of the way Deder." Crimson barked.

"You are in fact in my way." the emotionless being replied.

"Oh god not this again." Red grumbled. He shoved forward roughly and moved Deder out of their way.

Tori gasped and choked a little bit as the chain tightened around her throat until Crimson walked forward. Deder didn't seem to care that he had been forcefully moved and left the room. Tori caught her breath just before the two Psychos forced her to her knees before an empty chair. She imagined Kalix was supposed to sit there, but he was taking care of business elsewhere. That meant she had to wait and despite knowing that nothing good was going to happen she also didn't want to wait and agonize over what was going to happen.

She didn't have to wait long. Kalix strolled in and the anger from earlier was gone. He looked smug and she thought she saw a hint of blood on one of his claws. The raptor look alike practically sauntered over to the chair and sat down. She looked up into his face and was really glad that she was still morphed so he couldn't see her fear. Finally his eyes shifted to her captors.

"I must admit I didn't think anything good would come of this." Kalix said.

"Then you'll take these off?" Red asked hopefully.

The pleased look on Kalix's face vanished and was replaced by anger. "You were more focused on beating on each other than paying attention to your real targets. I think it's a fluke you even managed to catch this ranger. You barely worked together."

"But Master---." There was a whining tone to Crimson's voice that surprised Tori.

"You'll have to do a hell of a lot better if you want me to unlock those." Kalix snapped. "Your little romp on Earth just proved you have a lot of things you need to deal with."

"I would rather gnaw off my arm than talk to that rat bastard." Red snarled defiantly.

"Please do, it'll save me to pain of cutting it off myself." Crimson growled in return.

Tori gulped nervously. She was standing between the two Psychos who were quickly working themselves up to violence again. The chain was still wrapped around her neck. Not tight, but still an ominous threat.

"Stop this petty fighting of yours!." Kalix snapped. "Stand there and be quiet unless I talk to you."

Tori was amazed out how complacent the two Psychos were. She wondered how they could let themselves be so intimidated by Kalix. Sure she was scared of him, but she was separated from her teammates and way out of her league. But the Psychos had each other, even if they didn't like that fact, and were so obviously more powerful than Kalix it was almost sickening. What kind of hold did Kalix have on them?

"So, little ranger. Are you going to be more cooperative than the Knight Ranger?" Kalix asked, his voice soft but full of menace.

"I don't know anything about the Gems of Power." Tori said automatically. She then cursed herself for talking at all and sealed her lips.

Kalix laughed. "No, I'd imagine being from this backward, out of the way space dump, you wouldn't have a clue about universal powers and such."

To say Tori was insulted was an understatement, but she wasn't rising to the bait. She kept her mouth closed and glared at the raptor being through her visor.

"No, I want something much simpler." Kalix continued, unfazed by the anger rolling off the Blue Ranger. "I want to know where your little hideout is. What is it you call it? Oh yes, Ninja Ops."

_Yeah right._ Tori thought. No way in hell she was going to tell the creep anything. She would have laughed right in his face if she weren't still in fear for her life. As it was she just stayed silent as the taunting look on Kalix's face fell.

"Very well, I will get what I want from you eventually." Kalix said confidently. He looked toward Red and then Crimson, making sure not to give the order to just one of them. "Take her to the holding cell where we're keeping the others prisoners. Also, post guards right outside the cell."

"What about her morpher, Master?" Red asked.

"Put it with the others." Kalix said with a wave of his hand. "I'll drain her power later."

"Yes Master." The two Psychos replied before dragging Tori out of the command room.

ZzZzZ

Hunter had to admit he was impressed with how well his little brother was keeping it together. He'd expected Blake to freak out at Tori's kidnapping, but instead the younger Bradley was amazingly calm. As impressed as he was, Hunter knew that was a bad sign. He knew Blake was probably just suppressing his feelings and was a raging mess on the inside. However, the cold determined face Blake was putting on was a little scary. Even when the brothers had been trying to get revenge on the Winds' Sensei, Blake had never been so cold.

"How do we get her back?" Shane wondered as the group sat around the table in Ninja Ops. "Can we try and bargain with them?"

"They'll just want what we can't give them." Hunter replied. "There's also probably no way for us to rescue her."

"And it's stupid to even hope they'll just let her go." Dustin added. "Maybe we should talk to Kale, see if there's anything he can do to help."

"We could try and capture either Navy or Yellow and demand an exchange." Shane suggested.

Hunter laughed humorlessly. "We can't even beat them how could we capture one of them?"

"Maybe Kale has something we could use." Dustin commented.

"Aren't we getting too dependent on him?" Hunter retorted. "We need to take care of our own problems."

"And aren't we just doing a fine job of that." Shane sneered sarcastically.

"Please don't start." Blake spoke up for the first time. "Arguing isn't going to bring her back."

"Sorry." The other three boys apologized.

Cam decided to step in before they started trying to come up with ideas again. He had been reading about Psycho Yellow and needed to talk to somebody who could probably answer his questions. "I need to talk to Kale about some things so I'll see if he has any suggestions."

"We don't know where he is now." Shane said a little confused.

"He stopped by while you were all out having fun and left a well...I think it's a pager of some sort. He said if we needed to talk to him or needed him for anything to push the button." Cam said.

"Wait, why are you going? Don't you want to stay here and--."

Hunter smacked a hand over Dustin's mouth. "Just try and hurry. We'll stay here and plot."

ZzZzZ

Tori was surprised to find herself thrown into a large cell with about five other people. Some looked worse than others, but none of them were in very good shape. She was mildly disappointed to find they were all male, some female company would have been appreciated. At first she assumed she'd probably gain the interest of the whole cell, but no one seemed to pay attention to her for that reason at all. Two of the occupants didn't even react to her presence, nor did they seem to be aware of anything at all. One guy was giving her a distrustful look that was punctuated by his nearly glowing feline like eyes. The last two seemed a bit friendlier as they both offered her small smiles, but only one out of the whole group talked to her.

"You've still got your power."

Tori was a little surprised. That wasn't exactly what she had been expecting. "Yeah, so?"

"Kalix drained the rest of us." The young man said. He had striking blue eyes and dirty, shaggy blond hair. "I'm Harper."

"Tori." She said, glancing around at the other occupants a little nervously. The whole situation was just totally overwhelming. "Were you all rangers?"

"We're not really sure about those two. They've never said anything and hardly do anything other than just sit there." Harper said. He gave them a sad look. "They've been here too long."

"Any amount of time is too long." The other friendly looking man said. He had dark brown eyes and black hair, a complete opposite to Harper. He looked younger than Harper, but they both looked older than Tori. "I'm Amias."

Harper motioned toward the third man. He had reddish brown hair and green eyes that were cold and cut off from his emotions. "That's Sizvu, he's my teammate." He frowned as the obviously older man just gave Tori a curt nod. "He's a crotchety old grump."

"Bugger off." Sizvu snapped. Tori was surprised to hear a somewhat Scottish accent on someone who obviously wasn't from Earth. She stared at him for a moment before his hard green eyes met hers. "Stop starin' at me."

"Don't mind him, it hasn't been easy on us since our capture." Harper said. "As you can imagine Kalix isn't a very gracious host."

"It's nice to finally have company though." Amias commented. "We can thank him for that."

"No, we can thank whichever one of the Psychos it was that let the Knight Ranger escape." Harper said. To Tori he explained. "That's the only reason we're in this big holding cell. We used to be in separate cells with sound proof shields so we couldn't talk. Amias has only been here about a year, but Sizvu and I have been here for two and a half and the other two have been here much longer. You can imagine that being in solitary confinement for that long isn't easy."

Tori was surprised that Kalix had captured so many rangers. As far as she could guess Lothor had never messed with other teams of rangers. Kalix was more of a threat than she'd ever guessed.

"Kalix is more powerful than Lothor, isn't it?" Tori asked.

Harper shared a confused look with Amias. "Who's Lothor?"

"That's who Kalix works for." Tori replied. The bad feeling in the pit of her stomach was getting worse.

"I doubt it." Amias said. "Kalix has conquered hundreds of planets. I've never even heard of this Lothor."

"Kalix is just playing right now." Harper added. "When he's ready to get serious nothing will stop him. Anyone who thinks they can is a fool."

"We'll stop him." Tori said.

The other three prisoners laughed and even the two nearly comatose men seemed amused. Tori glared at them. She would not let them take her hope away. It was all she had left. Harper noticed her glare and stopped laughing, elbowing Amias who stopped laughing and shot him a glare.

"Don't get me wrong, I'd pay to see Kalix go down, but he has a strong army behind him." Harper said.

"He's got at least two hundred Lizarians, 500 Dedians, and around 50 monsters on this ship alone. That's not to mention the 600 droigs in hibernation." Amias added. "He has an armada of over a five hundred battleships like this one that are spread over three galaxies. All he has to do is call for them and there will be an invasion force the likes of which you've never seen here in a matter of days."

"Then why hasn't he just done that?" Tori asked.

Harper and Amias shared another look. "He's playing."

"Playing? He calls tormenting us playing?"

"He toyed with us for almost a year before he got bored and called in his invasion squad." Harper said, glancing over his shoulder at Sizvu. "Twenty monsters, and over ten thousand foot soldiers overran our planet in less than a week. Our team had ten rangers, two for each region, and only three of us survived only to be captured and that's only because we had something to offer him."

"What?" Tori asked, still trying to absorb the nightmarish images playing out in her mind. Lothor was looking like an angel compared to Kalix.

"Kardan is his doctor. Sizvu invents things. And I'm...a play thing."

At that Tori finally saw some emotion from Sizvu, who stepped over to Harper and wrapped a comforting arm around his teammate's shoulder. The older man ushered Harper to a corner of the cell where they sat down together. Amias watched them with sad eyes before looking at Tori.

"For your sake just hope you don't have anything to offer Kalix."

ZzZzZ

"I'm sorry to hear about Tori." Kale said as he met Cam in the forest.

Cam gave the Knight Ranger a small glare. "She's not dead yet."

"Kalix won't kill her Cam. She has information that he wants." Kale said. "For better or worse he won't kill her for a while."

"There's a cheerful thought." Cam grumbled.

Kale smiled softly. "You and I both know we have a man on the inside."

Cam opened his mouth to reply, but stopped short when he suddenly found himself inside Kale's ship again. He hadn't even seen the remote Kale used to activate the transporter. He shoved his confusion away and focused on what he needed to ask Kale.

"Do you have something to contain a Psycho?" Cam asked.

Kale looked over his shoulder at Cam with a raised eyebrow. "You want to catch a Psycho?"

"Bargaining chip."

"I'm sorry Cam, I don't have anything that can contain a Psycho. The only shield generator I have I'm using to protect my ship from unfriendly transport beams." Kale replied. "You're going to have to hope that Niko will somehow get her out of there."

"Right." Cam nodded. He was a little disappointed, but at the same time never really thought they could catch a Psycho anyway. He pushed that thought away and asked his other question before Kale could say anything else. "What do you know about the Yellow Amulet?"

Kale looked up sharply. His eyes flashed white briefly as he accessed the knowledge of the Protectors and then he focused on Cam once more. "The Amulets were created by one of the Holders to control any ranger in possession of an Amulet. The color of the Amulet has to match the color of the ranger."

"Psycho Yellow is under the influence of an Amulet." Cam said.

"Impossible." Kale replied. "Okay, he may be in possession of an Amulet and it may be influencing him to be evil, but if he was truly under the influence he would be being controlled by a Holder."

"Okay, so the Amulet is making him...evil...how do we free him of its influence?"

"Someone with the power of a Gem of Power has to destroy it." Kale answered.

"We have to tell Niko that." Cam said. "He could destroy the Amulet and then we'd have another Psycho on our side." His face fell as he caught the error in his own plan. "He's still playing undercover agent."

"This can still be used in our favor-just not yet."

ZzZzZ

"You're a lovesick puppy." Crimson sneered.

Red growled at him, jerking their shackled arms. "I've run around doing everything you've wanted to do and now it's my turn."

"Aurias hates your guts Dariv. Accept it."

"You're an asshole Terik."

"And the two of you aren't steppin' a foot into my infirmary arguing like that." Dr. Radkee spoke up from just inside.

Crimson smirked as he looked at the damage Kalix had left behind. There was white wrapping around the doctor's head and he walked with a little bit of a limp. He had his back to the Psychos and they could see the back of his uniform had been shredded and was bloody and he had been bandaged by someone else. Crimson glared at Yellow, knowing that the sleeping Psycho had been the one to do it.

"You're awake."

Crimson looked over at Red's statement and found Aurias watching them sleepily. He tried to convince himself that he didn't care, but deep down Crimson was glad to see her awake.

"Oh brilliant, I'd hoped you wouldn't be too much longer." Dr. Radkee said, bustling over to check on her stats. "I'd begun to worry there was more damage done than I could see."

"I'm fine, just sleepy." Aurias murmured.

"That's good then. Sleep for a while it'll make ya feel better." Radkee urged.

"She's been sleeping." Red argued.

Radkee shot him a look. "No, a coma is not the same as sleeping." He gave Aurias a small smile. "Go on and sleep lass, next time you wake up you'll be your old self again."

"I'm fine Doctor." Aurias insisted. She gave the doctor a small smile in return, having always had a soft spot for the caring man, before turning her attention to her teammates. It was then she noticed they were shackled together. She stared for a moment, her face crinkling a little. And then she began to laugh and laugh like it was the funniest thing she'd ever seen before.

"What are you laughing at!" Crimson demanded angrily. He found nothing funny at being shackled to Red.

"You---I---we---" She couldn't stop laughing long enough to give a proper answer.

Crimson growled and started to move toward her. Red reacted instantly, using their connection to jerk Crimson backward. Crimson was infuriated to find himself on his back again. With a growl the current leader of the Psychos scrambled to his feet and drove Red backwards toward the doorway of the infirmary. Red planted his feet and kneed Crimson in the chest. The two jumped apart and then swung their free fists at each other with devastating force.

Dr. Radkee shook his head as he watched the two slump to the ground unconscious. "Bloody idiots."


	14. Busted

"I was framed!" Crimson roared.

Red smirked, seeing a raw nerve to prod. "You just don't want to admit you were beaten by the Knight Ranger."

"For the last time, I was weight training when it happened!"

"And it just so happens the weight lifting room doesn't have cameras."

Crimson growled. "That's it, I'm proving my innocence."

"If you're going to drag me around aimlessly might I suggest we corner Zadan?" Red said, taunting clear in his voice. "As Earthlings would say he's got his finger on the pulse of this place."

"Fine, but don't undermine my authority while I'm talking to him." Crimson growled. "I don't know who framed me, but I want to find out."

"Don't you mean need to find out? I think Kalix's extension on your time is about to run out, isn't it?"

Crimson turned to his teammate with a thoughtful look hidden behind his helmet. He knew how to play this game. To get Red's help he would need to offer him something he'd want.

"Listen, you help me find out who framed me and I'll help you get Aurias."

Red balked, taking a step back. "What do you mean? I don't want Aurias."

"Oh don't play stupid with me. I know you like her." Crimson sneered. "I know Aurias better than anyone else. Who better to help you get on her good side?"

"You want my help?"

"And in return I'll help you."

Red contemplated that for a moment, before nodding his head in agreement. "Fine, I'll help you, but if you double cross me or--."

"You get me what I want and I'll get you what you want. It's as simple as that _Nartu_."

"Don't call me that _Handiel_." Red snarled, his anger flaring at the derogatory term.

Crimson smirked at the reaction, but didn't push it any further. He started toward the infirmary and felt somewhat triumphant as Red followed without having to be dragged. It was the first time they had actually gone someplace without arguing ten minutes about it. He just hoped the little creep was in there.

"Zadan and Niko are getting awfully close again." Red spoke up suddenly.

Crimson glanced over his shoulder. "Yeah, so?"

"Aren't you at least a little curious as to why?" Red asked.

"Nope, that part is obvious to anyone who knows them." Crimson replied. "Those two have been in love with each other since the third week of our training. You wouldn't know that because you're always too busy moping over our exile."

"Well I'm sorry if I can't get over being exiled from my home." Red snarled.

"Oh save it. You can't tell me you enjoyed being a slave to your system, fighting for a Cause no one believed but continued fighting because of the hatred." Crimson retorted. "I for one don't miss being doped up on drugs to make me obedient or the unsanitary conditions I lived in."

"What are you talking about? Your government preached fair treatment for all citizens."

"I wasn't a citizen Dariv, I was a soldier." Crimson said. "I was no better than mud on their boots and easily expendable. Man I'd like to go back there and teach them all a lesson."

"Don't think so far ahead. First let's find who framed you and deal with the rangers. Maybe then we can both go back and show them how we feel about being exiled."

The two stared at each other and a brief moment of understanding was shared. The moment passed and the two continued to the infirmary in silence. Inside they found Dr. Radkee fixing up an unarmored Dedian that seemed to have strayed too close to the plasma coils in engineering. The doctor looked up as the two approached Psycho Yellow's empty bed.

"I released him already." Radkee announced. "Niko promised to look after him."

Red glanced at Crimson. "See, that worries me."

"Doesn't me. It'll benefit the team if they work together." Crimson replied.

"You're forgetting that one of them is the imposter."

Crimson growled softly but didn't reply. He turned and headed back out of the infirmary. He knew where to find the two. Sitting in the rec. room watching that godforsaken show they'd both gotten addicted to. He couldn't understand what was so great about TV, let alone Earthling TV.

Sure enough Yellow and Navy were seated on one of the rec. room's couches watching TV. Red was surprised to find them still voluntarily unmorphed in front of each other. That was something that had changed drastically after Jaldia. Before they got their Psycho powers they took to staying in their training armor, which were powerless versions of ranger uniforms. After they got their powers they still did the same, everyone opting for body language over facial expressions. Red found it strangely disconcerting to see his two teammates so relaxed around each other.

"There's more to McKay than meets the eye." Niko said.

"He's arrogant, snippy, and just a regular asshole." Zadan replied. "I don't think there's much more to him."

Niko shot his friend a look. "Oh please, no one is that one dimensional."

"He's completely oblivious to the fact that everyone hates him."

"I don't think he's as oblivious as you think."

Zadan growled. "Are you going to argue with everything I say?"

"As long as I don't agree with what you're saying." Niko replied.

"Zadan." Crimson barked, interrupting his teammates. "I want to talk with you."

"I don't know who framed you." Zadan grumbled. "Even if I did, do you think I'd waste the chance of watching you scurry around trying to figure it out."

Crimson growled and strode forward. He reached over the back of the couch, grabbed the front of Zadan's uniform, and yanked him up and over the couch. Zadan managed to get his feet under himself, but still stumbled a little. He caught his balance and jerked away from Crimson's grasp, taking a step back. In and instant Niko was at Zadan's side with a glare of disapproval on his face.

"Back of Terik, he's hardly healed enough for you to torment him." Niko snarled.

Crimson smirked, his voice laced with mocking. "Tell your watch dog to stand down, I just want to talk."

"I'll show you watch dog." Niko growled and started toward Crimson. He was surprised as Red stepped forward and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, lifting him off the ground. "Hey, let me go!"

"This doesn't involve you, runt. Make yourself scarce." Red sneered. He tossed his teammate backwards through the rec. room doors that opened when they sensed his quick approach.

"Hey!" Zadan protested. He started to move to check on his teammate, but Red stepped in his way. He realized with a jolt of fear that they had him cornered and on top of that Dr. Radkee had warned him not to morph just yet. "Back off."

"Calm down Zadan, we just want to talk." Crimson said his voice full of false pleasantness.

"I don't know anything guys. You don't honestly think whoever framed you would tell me, do you?"

"So if it wasn't you, then it must be Niko." Crimson mused.

Zadan's breath nearly caught in his throat and he struggled not to show the panic on his face. "I didn't say that."

"So then you're the one that did it?"

Even though there was only a couch behind him Zadan felt like he was trapped in a box with his two teammates. No matter what he said either he or Niko was going to be insinuated. He couldn't very well suggest it was Aurias since she really didn't have any reason the frame Crimson. So, it was either take the blame on himself or point them in Niko's direction. He knew he should have done it, told them that Niko was the one that had done it not just to frame Crimson but as a traitor. He just couldn't do that. His heart wouldn't let him.

"If I were the one that framed you do you really think I'd admit to it?" Zadan remarked.

"So then it's Niko." Crimson said. He was enjoying making his yellow teammate squirm.

"I didn't say that." Zadan snapped. "Maybe it's Aurias, hell it could even be Dariv. Actually, for all we know it's you Terik."

"I have nothing to gain." Crimson said. "If I was the one I would have gotten myself out of here by now. I'm the one Kalix is getting ready to punish."

"Sucks to be you." Zadan sneered.

Crimson growled and moved to strike Zadan, but Red grabbed his arm. "Leave him Terik, we have other ways of finding the imposter."

Zadan smirked as he watched his two teammates leave the rec. room. He knew he had planted ideas in their minds. They were probably already doubting each other.

ZzZzZ

Tori was relieved that Kalix hadn't come for her yet, but at the same time the feeling of despair in the holding cell was overwhelming. She could tell that all of the men had given up on escaping and why not? They didn't even know how long the two mutes had been there. She couldn't even imagine what must have happened to make them silent like they were. She wanted to hope that she wouldn't end up like them, but it still terrified her that she wouldn't be able to escape and she would be imprisoned for a very long time.

Tori had thought that Lothor was a terrible enemy, until the Psycho Rangers showed up. But even they seemed to pale in Kalix's presence. He apparently had a force greater than anything that had ever threatened Earth before. She wondered how they would ever defeat him if he brought the full power of his armada and his army against them. The Power Rangers of Earth had only ever had to defend one city at a time, how would her team defend the whole planet by themselves? Surely five rangers couldn't actually protect the whole planet if it all came under attack at the same time. They'd be hopelessly outnumbered no matter how powerful they were.

"I didn't mean to make you doubt yourself Tori." Amias spoke up. "I don't want you to give up hope. It's all you have now."

"I know that." Tori said. "But if he's got the army you say he does then it doesn't give me much hope at all. Five rangers can't protect a whole planet."

"No, but Earth has something that most other planets don't." Harper said, jumping into the conversation. He seemed to have recovered from his little episode earlier. "You have many more potential rangers and ranger powers than any planet I've ever seen. I think for some strange reason that's why every evil doer ever has tried to take over Earth."

"It's well known that there's always a team of rangers ready to take on whatever force attacks Earth." Amias added. "If Kalix does try to invade Earth the only things that will stop him are ranger teams."

"But the most important thing of all is to have hope." Harper said. He motioned to the three of them. "We've given up hope and you can see what it's done to us."

"Hold on to it Tori, it's all you've got now."

ZzZzZ

Red and Crimson entered the security room and watched a fat, sloppy monster jump to its feet. Earth junk food fell to the floor along with a few cans of something called "Mountain Dew". Crimson glared distastefully at the monster and the creature didn't need to see his face to know it. Red made a quick motion toward the door with his hand and the monster didn't bother to argue. It scampered out of the room leaving a trail of crumbs in its wake.

"Disgusting creature." Crimson sneered. "More trouble than he's worth."

"Forget him." Red snapped. "Stay focused on your goal Terik and you're more likely to succeed."

"Oh so now you're offering me advice?" Crimson taunted.

Red gave him a glare that showed right through his helmet and Crimson stayed quiet. Red moved to sit where the monster had and began typing quickly. As expected the computer asked for his username and password. Nothing detailed with the computers could be done without usernames and passwords. Sure the monster on duty in the security room could observe everything, but it couldn't pull up files or anything of that nature. It was a privilege.

**Username: RedDay**

Password: xxxxxx Access Granted RedDay 

Crimson was silently surprised by Red's username. Red Day is what both nations had termed the bloodiest day of the Hykan-Surran War. He wondered if Red had been a part of that day or if it had been someone he knew. In any case he felt a silent bit of respect for the older man.

"Okay, the only footage we have is of the imposter going into the Knight Ranger's holding cell." Red mused. "We need to discus more security cameras with Kalix. You'd think he'd have them already."

"He's too confident, almost too complacent when it comes to the security on the ship." Crimson agreed. He eyed the footage that Red brought up. His anger flared as he watched the imposter. "He even acted like me. Said what I would have said."

"You're not that hard to predict Terik. Your temper is well known." Red said, too distracted to make any insulting barbs. He watched the footage intently for any clues. Then he saw it. "Depths be damned."

"What?" Crimson asked, surprised his companion had found something.

"Watch, watch the imposter just before the Knight Ranger hits him with the electro-disk." Red said, starting the replay a few seconds before the imposter foolishly lunges.

Crimson watched as his look-alike snarled and lunged. He watched as the Knight Ranger dodged and grabbed the electro-disk. And then he saw the imposter tense. Tense like he knew what was coming. _Depths be damned indeed!_

"That bastard knew it was coming." Crimson exclaimed. "He not only framed me but he's a traitor too!"

"I guess we should have seen that coming. No one would go to such lengths to frame you if they were just going to give the Knight Ranger a beating." Red mused. "Well, I guess it could have gotten you into trouble with Kalix, and so far it has, but now it seems like there was much more to it."

"We have to tell Kalix."

"No," Red snarled. "Which ever one did it did worse than betray Kalix. He betrayed us. This is worse than anything we did to each other on Jaldia."

"We take care of this ourselves."

"And I have a plan."

ZzZzZ

"The Wraith are far more terrifying than the Goa'uld." Niko argued. "They don't want to rule over humans, they want to feed on them."

"I'd rather be killed by the Wraith than forced to worship a false God my whole life." Zadan argued. "It's too much like real life right now."

"You'd rather live your life in fear of a Wraith culling? You'd watch your family and friends get culled?" Niko asked. "You'd rather have your life sucked out of you slowly than be killed quickly by a Jaffa staff weapon?"

"What about those ribbon devices the Goa'uld hav?. That's got to be torturous."

"Still---."

"Do you two always argue over stupid TV shows?" Crimson sneered as he and Red sauntered into the rec. room.

"They're not stupid." The two younger Psychos snapped at the same time. They didn't bother to act surprised they'd spoken in unison.

"Whatever." Red dismissed. "We just came to tell you that we think we've found something on the security footage that'll show who framed Terik."

Zadan and Niko looked quickly at one another, but Zadan quickly looked back at their two shackled teammates. "If you think you've got something why don't you just spit it out?"

"There was some kind of power surge or something, the footage is messed up, but we're going to have that Sizvu punk take a look and see if he can clean it up." Red replied. "We'll know the truth by tomorrow."

Niko tried to hide his worry. He was sure he hadn't left any kind of evidence behind, but he couldn't take any chances. If they had something that might incriminate him it would probably be for more than just framing Crimson. They'd find out he's a traitor and kill him, or worse brainwash him again. He had only one choice. He would sneak into the security room and destroy the footage.

"You're bluffing." Zadan sneered. "You've got nothing and you know it."

"Don't be so sure." Red replied. "By tomorrow you might be floating in space."

"You don't scare me Dariv. I have nothing to fear." Zadan retorted. _I only fear for Niko. Lords please don't let them have anything._

"We'll see about that, won't we?"

"Leave us alone. We just want to watch our shows in peace." Niko snapped.

Crimson and Red left them, knocking knuckles as the rec. room doors closed behind them. The seeds had been planted and very soon they'd have their traitor.

ZzZzZ

They couldn't have anything on him. He'd carefully avoided any place with cameras before he went to see the Knight Ranger. He'd even made sure to change to crimson before going into the tech room and getting the electro-disk. There was no way he'd let himself get incriminated. There was no way they had any footage that would point to him.

But Navy knew he couldn't take that chance. The footage would have to be destroyed before it was cleared up or whatever that meant. Technology had always been a bit beyond him, so he didn't understand how half the things Kalix had actually worked. He just knew they worked and that was good enough. So, if there was really footage getting cleaned up that would show it was him, he would have to make sure no one saw it.

He morphed before he left the room. If he was with Zadan he didn't mind being unmorphed, but by himself he felt the need for the extra power boost. The Lizarians tended to lick their lips whenever they looked at him. He was small enough to make a snack for a hungry pack of the beasts. At least when he was morphed they didn't dare look at him like that.

He didn't have to walk far from his room to the security room, but he took it slow. Something felt wrong to him. His instincts screamed out that there was something not right about the whole situation, but he couldn't take any chances. The rangers needed him as a spy, to do what he could to foil Kalix's plans. They needed him to try and figure out how to bust Tori out without creating as much fuss as he did with Kale. He'd thought framing Crimson had been a stroke of genius, but it was turning out to be more trouble than it was worth.

He stopped in front of the door and waited as it slid open. He barely had time to gasp before a bolt of energy sent him flying across the hall. Navy was quickly on his feet again, ready to defend himself. It was how the Earthlings said "the shit has hit the fan". He was screwed and he knew it.

"So, it was you all along?" Crimson sneered. "Not only did you frame me but you're a traitor as well."

"That's absurd." Navy snarled. "That punk zapped me, I wanted revenge."

"You tensed right before the electro-disk touched your back. You knew it was coming." Red accused. "And now you will suffer like the traitor you are."

At that a horde of Dedians armed with their axe/sword/club-like weapons swarmed from the security room. Navy fought back with all the skill he'd been taught. The Dedians were many, but he was quick and powerful and they could hardly touch him. After mere moments the last Dedian was sent sailing down the corridor. Navy turned his attention back to his teammates or rather ex-teammates.

"Well, they may not have been able to hurt you, but we'll teach you a lesson." Crimson said.

Navy ducked Crimson's fist, but received a kick to the face from Red. He stumbled back, but managed to dodge another attack and put a little room between them. His chance for recovery was brief as the two betrayed Psychos attacked viscously. He jumped a kick to his midsection and planted both feet on the chain stretched between his two attackers. His full weight dragged them to the ground with undignified yelps. With a streak of maliciousness he attacked Crimson and Red while they were down, before he turned and started to take off. He stumbled and fell as something caught his foot. He didn't get a chance to recover. His ex-teammates were on him so fast he barely knew what hit him.

"Stupid little punk." Crimson snarled while viscously beating Navy with his shield.

Navy tried to roll away, but Red stepped down harshly on his wrist, crushing his transporter and exposing his ribs to the full fury of Crimson's shield. Biting back a whimper of pain he unleashed a shockwave of energy that sent his attackers flying. His head swam and he felt like someone had wrapped him in thousand pound weights. He moved sluggishly as he fought to think about where to go.

_Zadan._ No, he couldn't go there. Yellow would hate him for his betrayal.

He needed to get away, to get to Earth, but his personal transporter was smashed. The tech room wasn't far away, but it was far enough. The transporter was his only hope, as long as his username and password weren't locked out already.

His train of though was derailed violently as Red and Crimson streaked from behind him, catching him between them with the chain. They dragged him ruthlessly to the floor. He kicked out in an attempt to trip one of them, but Red jumped down right on his leg and it made a sickening snap as the bone fractured. He bit his lip hard enough to draw blood as he struggled not to make a sound. They dragged him to his feet and slammed him against the wall. Crimson stood only a few inches away from him and held his shield out between them. Navy could only lean against the wall for support, somewhat aware of what was going on, but not fully grasping the danger anymore.

"Psycho Force Rush!"

Navy screamed out in agony as the short distance between them caused the shield to connect with devastating power. His awareness shifted out and by the time he was aware again he was being dragged by his broken leg down the hall. He knew they were taking him to Kalix. He wasn't fully aware of too much, but that thought was terrifying enough that all his survival instincts kicked in.

He unleashed the most powerful energy surge he'd ever attempted and for a moment the world was nothing but a roar in his ears and a bright flash of white. When he could see again properly he saw Red and Crimson slumped in the hall. There was still a dim roar in his ears and he knew if he didn't get away quickly he wouldn't last much longer. He struggled up and hissed at the roaring pain in his fractured leg. With a groan of pain he started to stumble and limp his way down the hall to the transporter room. The door slid open and he stumbled inside, falling to his knees beside the control panel. Pain throbbed through his whole body and he wheezed with every breath. He quickly punched in his username and password and then the coordinates he wanted. He watched as the transporter beam energized, the light bright against the pain in his head. Gathering his strength he pushed away from the control panel and half stumbled and crawled toward the beam.

"Psycho Slash Attack!"

The red energy crackled through the air with frightening power and slammed into Navy's back. His cry of pain was cut off as the force of the attack knocked him into the transporter beam.

ZzZzZ

Kale yawned and rubbed his eyes. He was reading Psycho Yellow's background file. Apparently, unlike the other Psychos, Kalix had been watching Psycho Yellow for much longer. Through his research of the Gems of Power Kalix had found out that one of the first Holders, fully blended with the Gems of Power, had lived there. Kalix had deduced that someone on the planet had to be a descendant of Joutan al Kor'kii (Joutan the destroyer) and would be able to use the Gems of Power much easier. After genetic testing, Kalix had found that descendant to be Zadan, who had no clue whatsoever. Kalix had posted a spy to watch Zadan and see if there was any residual power but the spy had reported that there appeared to be no remaining power in Zadan. Kale was shocked to learn that Kalix had then had the spy plant the Yellow Amulet where Zadan would find it. Zadan, already being the Yellow Solar Ranger, had been immediately affected by the Amulet and had turned on his teammates, betraying his planet to Kalix. Kalix had then promised him a much greater power and from there Zadan's story followed the same lines as Niko's, except for the brainwashing bit.

"My god." Kale murmured. "This kid could either save or destroy us all and he doesn't even know it."

A console to Kale's left beeped and he jumped a little, surprised by the sound. He turned a pushed a few buttons. Immediately a viewscreen came to life in front of him. It took him a moment to realize what he was seeing, but when the implications struck him he cursed in his people's foulest tongues. Psycho Navy was sprawled motionless on the ground, unmorphed and helpless as Psycho Crimson and Psycho Red were closing in for the kill.

"Now you die like the miserable traitor you are." Red snarled.

"I'm going to enjoy this." Crimson sneered.

Kale gaped as both Psychos seemed to charge up, getting ready to deliver a fatal blast. He snapped out of his stupor and reached for the transport console. He smiled triumphantly when it indicated Navy was just within transporting distance. With a few quick keystrokes he teleported the Psycho Ranger onto his ship and immediately into the healing chamber.

"Argggghhhh!" Crimson roared on the viewscreen. "It's that damn Knight Ranger, I know it!"

"Come, we have to report to Kalix. He's not going to like this."

Kale sighed, reached over, and flipped off the viewscreen. He had wondered how long it would take for them to bust Psycho Navy. He had to admit he thought it would be longer. He had hoped they would gain a better advantage through Navy's help, but that was clearly out of the picture. All he had left was to hope that Navy wasn't injured too badly. They couldn't afford to lose an ally as powerful as he was. He sighed and sat down in his seat again. All he could do was wait.

VvVvV

AN: Okay, I do want to apologize for the lack of rangers in this chapter. I know Tori made a brief appearance, but this chapter was all about Navy getting busted. Now, I also want to warn that from here out unless Psycho Navy is morphed he'll be referred to by his real name, Niko, so I hope everyone has caught on to his name. In fact, any time the Psychos aren't morphed I'm going to refer to them by their real names, so if anyone gets confused don't be afraid to let me know.

_Nartu_-derogatory term for Red's people back on their home planet

_Handiel-_derogatory term for Crimson's people back on their home planet

Anyway, I want to give a quick thank you to everyone who is still reading. I really appreciated it and I hope you keep enjoying it.


	15. Confrontation

Zadan nearly ran Doctor Radkee over as he hurried out of his room. He'd been called to the command room and even though it was late at night he knew that he had to go. He was either in trouble or...well he was probably in trouble and delaying would not make things better. Radkee got out of his way as quickly as he could, but shot him a disapproving look. Zadan didn't even look back; he was in too much of a hurry. A few moments later he entered the command room, a little out of breath, and found Red and Crimson already there. He breathed a sigh of relief. At least he wasn't the only one it trouble. But that thought quickly derailed as he realized Navy wasn't there.

"Psycho Yellow, did you know about Psycho Navy's betrayal?" Kalix demanded.

Zadan kept a carefully schooled face, but inside he screamed out. _They know! Does Niko know that he's been found out? Are they plotting against him?_ He knew he had to answer Kalix, but he was afraid anything he said might condemn him and/or Niko.

"No Master, if I knew of a traitor I would turn him in to you." Zadan replied evenly.

"Liar." Crimson hissed. "You knew Niko was the traitor! You protected him when I questioned you!"

"I thought we were becoming friends again! I was merely trying to protect my friend! I had no clue he was a traitor!" Zadan yelled back, losing his patience. "If I'd known I would have killed the bastard myself." _Okay, maybe that was a bit over the top_.

"Enough!" Kalix roared. He glared at the unmorphed Yellow Psycho Ranger. "I don't know how much I trust your loyalty to me, but I believe you wouldn't risk your own skin by hiding a traitor. All of you get ready to deal some revenge. That traitor isn't going to get away so easily."

"Master..." Red spoke up as Kalix started to turn away from them. He fidgeted a little when Kalix turned his furious gaze back to him. "Terik and I worked together to expose the traitor. I believe we still have issues to deal with, but I think we have gotten past the need for the shackles."

"I'll be the judge of that." Kalix snarled. He glanced at Crimson. "What do you have to say?"

Crimson hesitated, wondering if he was about to make a big mistake. He wasn't sure his ego would ever recover, but deep down he'd learned the truth. "I agree with Dariv and as proof I relinquish leadership of the Psychos back to him."

Zadan and Red both looked at their teammate with shock. Even Kalix himself looked completely surprised by Crimson's words, but it also seemed to have a pacifying effect. With a nod of Kalix's head Deder stepped forward and pointed a remote at the shackles. They made a brief somewhat musical sound before unclasping and falling to the ground.

"Now get out of my sight while I think." Kalix barked. "Lothor is going to want me to do something. He will not be pleased."

"Master, we don't need Lothor to defeat the rangers." Crimson insisted. "You're ten times the warrior and leader he is."

"I know." Kalix said, a malicious and somewhat mischievous smile crossed his face. "I'm just having some fun."

ZzZzZ

Kale was surprised to say the least. He had expected Niko to be in the healing chamber for at least a week, but when he woke up the next morning the young man was already beginning to wake within the healing chamber. He popped open the side and gave Niko space to gather himself before exiting. While he waited for his guest he went to the small kitchen in the hanger. Max had installed a food synthesizer and a fold out table with chairs that slid into the floor. Max had made other improvements because the shuttle had been his. Like many other things it was one of the only things he had left from his teammates.

"I had hoped you'd find me."

Kale glanced over his shoulder at Niko and smiled. "You're lucky too. I have a healing chamber that probably saved your life."

"The Gems give us increased healing ability." Niko said. "I might have been out of commission, but it takes a lot to kill one of us."

"That's both good and bad."

Niko nodded and glanced around a little before focussing back on Kale. "Have anything to eat?"

"I was just getting ready to synthesize something." Kale said, motioning toward the machine in the wall. "You can create whatever you want…as long as it's not Garusian meatballs."

"No problem there, just the smell makes me sick." Niko replied.

Kale laughed and nodded in agreement. He typed a few things into the synthesizer and a moment later a plate with some foods from his home planet appeared in the receptacle. He took his plate and pulled a stool up from the floor and sat at the table. Niko followed his lead, though he created food completely different from Kale's. The two ate in comfortable silence as if they had known each other for years. It was an ease that came from being experienced rangers and having that common bond between them.

"I have to ask something and I hope it's not intrusive, but how old were you when you became a ranger?" Kale asked. "You're 16 now and as far as the reports say you've been with Kalix for almost a year."

"The first threat our planet faced was Tralor three years ago." Niko said. "I was thirteen when High Commander Rexin put out the call for volunteers to be rangers."

Kale looked understandably surprised. "You became a ranger at thirteen?"

"Not easy by any means, but my teammates accepted me and I never had to prove myself to them."

"I did." Kale said with a sad smile. "Rez thought I was an annoying pest, Max could never get me to listen to his techno-babble, and no one trusted me with any responsibilities. It took three months and me saving them all single handedly before most of them gave me any respect. At least Nick and Valin were in the same boat as me though. We were the three youngest."

"That must have been hard." Niko said.

"If it hadn't been for Nick and Valin it would have been." Kale replied.

"I'm sorry, it must be hard talking about them." Niko apologized, realizing he was probably poking at a raw nerve.

Kale smiled slightly. "It's okay. I should be able to talk about it after hundreds of years."

"We can talk about something else." Niko said. "I know I'm not ready to talk about my teammates."

"What about your newer teammates? Care to talk about them?" Kale asked.

A frown filtered across Niko's face. "At the moment I'm wishing I could flog two of them like naughty children. Aurias is awake and still recovering. Zadan..." Niko trailed off as he thought of how betrayed his friend probably felt. They had been getting closer, but the truth about his betrayal probably ruined all that. "...he's probably wishing he would have gotten a hold of me too."

"There's something you should know about Zadan. He's under the influence of the Yellow Amulet. Amulets---."

"Oh lords not another one." Niko groaned. His thoughts instantly shot to Amias. He didn't know what had become of his wayward teammate. "I've had experience with the Red Amulet. My teammate, Amias got taken over by it."

"Not taken over, influenced. The Amulets were created by one of the Holders of a Gem of Power. He was corrupted by the power and in turn created the Amulets to control rangers. The colors had to match for some odd reason that probably has to do with types of power and all that." Kale explained. "Without a Holder around the Amulets merely influence the ranger to be, well, evil."

"It's so obvious when I think about it. Zadan wears that damn thing proudly and I never made the connection." Niko could have just kicked himself for that stupidity. "How can I help him?"

"The Yellow Amulet has to be destroyed for its control to be released." Kale replied. "Only someone with a Gem of Power can destroy an Amulet."

"So I have to destroy it." It wasn't a question - it was a firm statement of purpose.

"How will you get the chance? He'll be morphed whenever you see him now." Kale said. "You'll have to talk him into doing it."

"That'll never work. He probably hates me now. He probably thinks I was just toying with his feelings." Niko said sadly. What he wouldn't give to make Zadan see the truth.

"We'll worry about that when the time comes." Kale suggested. "Let's just finish eating and then I'll take you to meet the rangers."

ZzZzZ

Dustin smiled, stretching out in the warm sun. He had been meditating, talking with his lion spirit, but that was done and he was just enjoying relaxing. It was nice to get a little peace, since there had been very little of it since the Psychos appeared. He knew that as soon as the day really began the Psychos would be up to no good as usual, but he wasn't going to let his thoughts go there yet. It wasn't generally in his nature to be negative, but he just had a feeling that something big was going to happen and given recent events he assumed it probably wouldn't be good.

His thoughts gradually drifted to the one person who had been consuming most of his thoughts recently. Hunter. It had come as quite a shock that Hunter had any kind of interest in him other than friendship. Oh, he'd figured it out before really confronting Hunter about it, but when Hunter all but confirmed it he was still a little surprised. They were motocross buddies and teammates. Not that he was against there being anything more. Hunter was attractive with a deep inner strength that was alluring. There was so much about Hunter that was still a mystery and he wanted to know what his friend was hiding…other than a crush on him.

Hunter stood in the shadows watching Dustin's lithe form spread on the ground. Bits of skin were showing where his shirt rode up a little and Hunter desperately wanted to touch him, but he was afraid. He was afraid of what would happen then. He couldn't even bring himself to make his presence known. All he wanted to do was watch his crush in his moment of relaxation.

Dustin frowned inwardly and wondered how long Hunter was going to keep watching him before making some kind of move. He wondered if Hunter would make a move at all. He thought about letting Hunter keep thinking he didn't know he was being watched, but then maybe if he forced Hunter's hand a little the Thunder would a least sit beside him. That's all he wanted at the moment, just his companionship.

"Hunter."

Hunter jerked out of his stupor and was surprised to see Dustin watching him. He crossed his arms and tried to make it look like he hadn't actually been staring at Dustin, but they both knew he had. "What?"

"Come sit by me." Dustin said. When Hunter didn't move, Dustin gave him a winning smile. "I promise not to bite."

"Who says I don't like biting?" Hunter replied, smirking at the red that flushed across Dustin's face. Nonetheless he moved to sit beside Dustin and they sat in comfortable silence for a while.

"Do you think we'll beat them? The Psychos I mean. Do you think we can beat them?" Dustin asked.

Hunter frowned. Before the Psychos he was almost arrogantly confident in his abilities, but Psycho Crimson had shown him the error of his ways. Now, he was still confident, but he was a little more humble. Of course he wanted to believe they would beat the Psychos, but he wanted to be realistic too. The Psychos represented the biggest challenge they'd ever faced.

"I think if we work hard as a team we can beat them." Hunter finally said.

Dustin nodded. "That's something we have that they don't."

"And that's a good thing for us. If those guys worked as a proper team we'd be dead by now." Hunter said and the thought sent a chill through them both. The truth behind it was frightening.

Dustin opened his mouth to say something when his morpher beeped and he answered it. He wasn't the least bit surprised that it was Cam telling them to get back inside. He was surprised to hear that Kale was there and that he had brought someone for them all to meet. He and Hunter shared a look before heading back inside.

Inside they found Kale and a stranger standing awkwardly near one of the exits. The stranger was young, probably younger than any of the rangers. He had scruffy black hair and wide blue-green eyes. He was about Blake's height, but had more muscle on him. There was something about his stance that said "I'm relaxed for the moment, but don't upset me or you'll be sorry".

"Guys, this is Niko. Niko, this is Hunter, Blake, Dustin, Shane, Cam, and their Sensei." Kale pointed to each as he said their name.

The reaction was immediate. Hunter stepped closer to both his brother and Dustin in a protective gesture. "You brought a Psycho Ranger here?"

"This Psycho Ranger helped me escape." Kale retorted angrily. "He was busted last night."

"I played right into their trap." Niko grumbled. "It all happened so fast too. I couldn't do anything except try and escape."

"Why didn't you try to rescue Tori?" Blake demanded.

Niko glared at him. "Well, after Terik tried to break all my ribs I kind of lost track of my thoughts. My survival instincts are the only reason I'm alive. If I could have freed her I would have freed all the rangers Kalix has captured, but I couldn't. I barely got away."

"He was barely alive when I put him in the healing chamber. If not for the increased healing ability his Gem gives him he'd be dead." Kale added. "Cut him some slack. He's been on our side for almost a week and a half."

"I'm sorry I haven't been able to do much." Niko said. He brushed a hand through his hair and sighed. "I tried to fuel the flames between Terik and Dariv, but that backfired on me in a big way."

He opened his mouth to say something more when Cam announced Psycho Yellow was on Earth and calling Niko out. Niko stared at the screen, pain jerking at his heart. Yellow hated him again. They had come so far only for it to be ruined again.

"Come out traitor! I didn't get my turn!" Psycho Yellow taunted.

Niko morphed in a flash of blue light. He knew Yellow would just start hurting innocent people if he didn't get out there. He tensed to zip away, but Kale caught his arm. Startled by the gesture, Navy jerked his arm free and glared at the older man, though it was once more hidden by his helmet.

"You aren't strong enough to fight yet." Kale said. "If it's a trap--."

"I have to talk to him." Niko insisted. "He-I-we---I have to go."

"Just be careful. I'll be watching if you need me."

Navy nodded then zipped away. Within moments he found Yellow. Yellow zipped to meet him and for several long moments they clashed as nothing more than a blur. Finally they knocked each other backwards and stood facing off. Yellow charged first, ducking past Navy's defenses to tackle him. Navy got his feet in Yellow's stomach and kicked him away. The two got to their feet and circled each instinctively looking for an opening to exploit.

"I always knew you were too weak to be a Psycho." _Are you okay?_

"Or I'm too strong to be controlled by Kalix. I'm no one's puppet." _I'm fine...Aren't you mad?_

_I knew before they did. _"You're a fool. You've gone from one Master to another."

"I'm my own master now." _You knew and didn't turn me in?_

Yellow charged again, throwing a kick at Navy's head. Navy ducked and blocked a knee to the face. Yellow went at him fast and furious while Navy did all he could to defend himself.

"I took an attack for you and this is how you repay me? Betrayal!" _I couldn't bring myself to turn you in. Not when I knew what would happen._

_Why? _"Why did you take that attack for me anyway?"

"I don't know!" _Because I care about you._

Navy was thrown off by Yellow's answer and an uppercut knocked him to the ground. He rolled away as Yellow's scythe dug into the ground where he had been. He pulled his quarterstaff and blocked Yellow's next swing. He scrambled to his feet and blocked yet another swing. He ducked another swing and jabbed the end of his staff into Yellow's side. He followed it with a bash to Yellow's face.

_You care about me? _"I didn't ask you to save me."

"Still, you could show some appreciation and not stab me in the back." _Of course I care about you. You're not that oblivious are you?_

_Okay Dr. Radkee, maybe I am oblivious. _"I came and saw you in the infirmary, isn't that appreciation enough?" _Care as in how?_

"You still stabbed me in the back!" _Does it matter?_

_Yes!_ "I'm just being who I really am! I'm a Power Ranger before anything else! I protect, not destroy."

Yellow hooked his blade around Navy's ankle and yanked hard. He then put the flat of his blade to Navy's neck. Navy started to lift his quarterstaff, but Yellow stepped on his arm. Yellow then sent a powerful charge into his fellow Psycho.

"You've made a fool of me." Yellow snarled. Mentally he completely ignored the question Navy wanted him to answer. _Now what am I supposed to do? You've got me all twisted around._

_Join me. You don't have to be Kalix's lackey. _"You made a fool of yourself." _Listen; before you decide anything just promise me you'll do something for me._

_I promise._

_Destroy the necklace you always wear._

Yellow didn't answer. He smacked Navy hard with the flat of the blade, knocking him out cold. Yellow raised the scythe and sent a quick prayer that someone would show up to stop him before he had to follow through with it.

"Stop!"

Yellow was knocked backwards by a kick to the chest and he silently thanked the Knight Ranger. He stood up, snarled something about getting the traitor later, and then transported away.


	16. Head Games

Tori gritted her teeth and tried to fight against the lizarians that were dragging her down the hall. They were too strong for her in her unmorphed state. She could see why hundreds of them would be formidable enemies. They were strong and vicious from what she had seen. It made her appreciate Kelzacks more.

The lizarians dragged her into a small room not that far from the holding cells and even as she struggled they strapped her down to a table. Without a glance back at her the two creatures left the room in silence. Tori sighed deeply and hoped she wouldn't be left waiting for long. Her imagination was filling in the blanks about what could happen next and none of it was pretty.

It seemed like hours before the doors slid open and Kalix sauntered in. She realized now that she had grossly underestimated Kalix. Physically he appeared to be no threat, but he was obviously much more dangerous than she ever thought. Amias told her about Kalix's psychic powers, which made it sound like an X-men comic book characters, but also made him sound extremely dangerous. She had healthy dose of fear and respect for the reptile being.

"Well, you are the prettiest prisoner I've had in a long time." Kalix said, eyeing her.

Tori felt her stomach clench. Oh that was a disgusting thought. She didn't really find it much of a compliment that a raptor-like creature found her pretty.

"Now, I'll cut right to the chase. Where is the place you call Ninja Ops?"

"Like I'd tell you."

"You'd be surprised what a little torture can do." Kalix replied with a sickening grin. He walked around her head to where she had to tilt it back to see him. "I'm not going to waste physical torture. I'm willing to bet you don't have the kind of psychic defenses my other prisoners have developed."

"You'll never get anything out of me."

"Willingly no, but I'm sure I can rip a few things right out of your mind."

Tori tried to brace herself, but she didn't even know what to expect. Kalix's yellow eyes seemed to take on a brighter glow and then all hell broke loose. The door into the room slid open and blue lightning crackled through the air, striking Kalix. The raptor was thrown across the room into the hard metal wall. Tori was shocked, but very relieved to see Blake rush into the room. The Navy Thunder Ranger hit Kalix one more time to make sure the raptor stayed down before going to Tori's side. He tried to unlatch her, but when that wasn't successful he forcefully broke each one, showing a strength he normally hid.

"I'm so glad to see you." Tori said.

Blake helped her up and steadied her as she swayed. "I couldn't leave you here."

"There are other rangers. We have to set them free too." Tori told him.

"No time." Blake replied, leading her by her arm out of the room.

"I can't leave them behind." Tori argued.

"Tori, they're not our problem."

Blake grabbed her arm and led her down the hall. She didn't have the strength to fight him, but something about the whole situation suddenly seemed very wrong. He seemed to know where he was going and judging by the lizarians knocked out everywhere he had already been through there. He turned suddenly and pulled her into a room that turned out to have a transporter. She watched as he went over to one of the consoles and began typing. It seemed wrong, something about it was off. He seemed to get the transporter working as it lit up with a bright beam.

"C'mon."

Tori dug her heels in as he tried to drag her to it. "No, I can't leave those rangers behind."

"We can't help them. The Psychos will be here any second." Blake argued. "We have to get out of here."

Blake grabbed her by the arm and with a rough tug they both stepped into the transport beam and were instantaneously transported to Earth. She felt an intense flash of anger at being forced to leave the other rangers behind. She took a step away from Blake and opened his mouth to say something, when suddenly Shane and Dustin were attacking Blake. It gave her a flashback of when Blake and Hunter had been fighting against them only Blake was putting up half the fight he did before. Dustin sent him sprawling with a smack of his Lion Hammer and Shane followed it with a shot from his Hawk Blaster.

Suddenly pain lanced through her head and there was a bright flash of light. She could no longer see her three teammates or the fight that had been going on.

_You're better than I thought, but not good enough. I will find what I want._

ZzZzZ

Zadan paced back and forth in his room. He was torn between his loyalty to Kalix and his love for Niko. He wasn't afraid to admit his feelings to himself. He loved Niko, much more than he should have, but the feelings were too strong to deny anymore. But at the same time he felt a compulsion to stay with Kalix. Then there was the idea of destroying his necklace. He couldn't believe Niko had even suggested it. Niko knew how much the necklace meant to him, it was precious too him, but as he thought about it he couldn't remember why. He couldn't remember what made it so important to him or much of what had happened before he found it. There was something murky and hidden behind a yellow haze that he knew he should remember.

"You're doing it, aren't you." He murmured, glaring at the necklace laid out on his table. "There's a good reason why Niko wants me to destroy you. What are you hiding from me?"

With determination he morphed and snatched up the necklace. Almost instantly he could feel his mind being pulled toward staying with Kalix, but his heart stayed firm. He sent an experimental charge through it and gasped as the effect was reflected in his mind as a sharp stabbing pain. That settled it; he knew he had to destroy it. He set the necklace on the floor and pulled his scythe.

"This better not kill me Niko or I'll come back and haunt you." He promised his friend, wishing in that instant that Niko was with him.

Then he swung the scythe down. In an instant the world flashed bright white and he bit back a yell of agony. He fell to his knees, holding his head, and then collapsed into darkness.

ZzZzZ

"Tori help me."

Tori gasped and rushed forward. Dustin was sprawled on the ground with a sword sticking out of his stomach. She dropped to her knees beside him, eyes filling with tears. She knew there was nothing they could do for him. It was a fatal wound quickly bleeding him dry. She grabbed one of his bloody hands and held him.

"Oh god Dustin..."

"Ninja Ops." Dustin murmured. "Take me to Ninja Ops."

She knew she couldn't move him, but she also couldn't just sit around and let him die. She really wished they had a teleporter system, but they didn't and she didn't know what to do. She squeezed his hand and listened to his breath hitch a little.

"Ninja Ops." Dustin insisted, his voice soft and losing strength. "Please."

"I can't move you Dustin." Tori argued.

"Take me to Ninja Ops."

Tori cocked her head and Dustin's uncharacteristic insistence. There was something wrong other than the fact that one of her best friends had a sword in his stomach. Then she got a good look at the sword and gasped. It was one of theirs, a Ninja Sword. It was then her instincts kicked in and she turned in time to see Shane, Hunter, and Blake rush into the scene. Blake and Hunter dragged her away while Shane viciously attacked Dustin and for some strange reason she didn't feel the need to protect her yellow clad comrade. That told her all she needed to know.

"You can't fool me that easily Kalix!"

_You **will** tell me what I want to know little ranger. It is only a matter of time._

ZzZzZ

Niko growled softly in deep frustration as Shane and Hunter continued to ask him endless questions about his ex-teammates. They wanted to know weaknesses and strengths, anything that could give them an upper hand. Niko just wanted to bust their heads together and be done with it, but he kept his temper in check. Jakol would have been proud of him.

"Look," He finally snapped, silencing the two rangers. "I've told you all I can. Dariv and Terik, Red and Crimson to you, are going to be more of a threat now that they're working together. Aurias is out of the picture for now and hopefully Zadan will take my advice and destroy the necklace. I don't know what else you want from me."

"Well, you could tell us about Kalix. What kind of threat does he pose?" Shane asked.

"Kalix is more of a threat than you or Lothor could possibly realize." Niko said. "He has 500 battleships all together, including the one here, his flagship. Each battleship has 200 lizarians, five hundred Dedians, 600 droigs, and fifty monsters and carries 200 wingers. Each battleship has one general on board and each general commands one hundred cruisers. One cruiser can carry 50 lizarians, 100 Dedians, 200 droigs, and 5 monsters and has 50 wingers. You do the math."

Cam paled. "That's about 28,450,000 foot soldiers all together."

The rangers sat in stunned shock at the sheer numbers of a force like that. It was an unimaginable force like nothing they ever imagined facing. Just what they were up against in the immediate area was frightening enough, but thinking about what kind of force Kalix could potentially throw at them. It was something no ranger team before them had ever faced. It was a threat much, much worse than Lothor could hope to be.

"How can he have so many foot soldiers and why the different kinds?" Blake asked.

"Forget that," Shane spoke up before Niko could answer. "Can you tell us about the foot soldiers? Monsters we have an idea about, but what about the others."

"The Lizarians are replicated using Kalix's own DNA for a base. They don't have all his psychic abilities, but they are all mentally connected in a way no one understands yet." Niko explained. "They're the cannon fodder even though there are generally fewer of them than anything else. They're the easiest to replace because they don't have armor or carry any weapons. You'll encounter them before anything else and they'll be the easiest to kill."

"Kill?" Dustin repeated, a little color draining from his face. When fighting and defeating Kelzacks he'd never considered it killing because they didn't seem to be actual viable life forms. They didn't have a free will of their own and that made defeating them easy. He wasn't sure he was ready to become a killer.

Niko favored him with a sympathetic look. "I understand how you feel. Our enemy before Kalix used robots and when I first killed a lizarian I felt like I'd done a terrible thing until one of them stabbed my best friend and I had to rush him to the medical center. They're essentially clones of Kalix, but they are living breathing creatures with a limited amount of free will and each has its own personality."

"We're going to become murderers." Dustin didn't look at all pleased by the idea.

"When it comes down to your planet or them you're justified in your actions." Kale spoke up for the first time. He had been silently listening to Niko's information, but felt it was time to make his wisdom known. "You're going to be fighting a war Dustin as the only soldiers that can really make a difference."

"I'm not a killer."

"Dustin, we can't just stand by and watch Kalix wipe out our world when we may be the only force that can stop him." Shane said softly, but firmly. "I for one will do what I can to stop him. Tori will agree with me. Are you going to let us fight alone?"

"Never." Dustin replied with finality that Shane understood. Dustin would never let his two best friends fight alone. He would be by their side to the bitter end.

ZzZzZ

"I'm very disappointed in you Kalix. You obviously don't have very good control of the Psycho Rangers." Lothor growled angrily. "The traitor has been in your midst for how long? Who knows what he has done."

"My lord, nothing has happened that I haven't expected and prepared for." Kalix replied.

"You knew there was a traitor and didn't do anything about it!" Lothor was getting angrier by the second.

Kalix dismissed his anger. "Everything is going as planned Lothor. I promise when my plan goes into action you'll be pleased with the results."

"I had better be Kalix. Any more mess ups and you won't be command of anything." Lothor hissed and then the view screen went blank.

Kalix laughed at the threat. He couldn't wait to show Lothor what exactly he was up against. He was going to make Lothor regret ever banishing him. If Lothor hadn't banished him he never would have come across the Draians. The bumbling idiots hadn't had a clue what they had. Their cloning facilities were used to create workers of sorts, but the peaceful, complacent people had never considered the military implications of what they had. He had broken into one of the facilities during the night and in twelve hours created an army of over a hundred creatures he'd called Lizarians. He'd used the Lizarians to enslave the Draians and the cloning facilities became his single greatest assets.

"My lord Master Kalix."

Kalix broke out of his memories and focused his attention on Deder. His second in command bowed in a show of respect. "What is it?"

"General Tarnin just reported in." Deder said in his emotionless voice. "He is almost finished with the Rangers of Draqan and then he will bring his fleet here to support you."

"Contact him and tell him that he is to stay in the Goralla System until I call for him."

"Yes Master."

Kalix watched with immense satisfaction as Deder left the command room. Five years ago Deder would have put up a hell of a fight and told Kalix to suffocate in the dark depths of space rather than obediently obey him. Deder had been one of three Sentinels protecting his planet when Kalix had attacked. Deder had welded the power of Fire and Courage, but it hadn't been enough. Kalix had captured him and then had a hell of a time breaking the powerful young man. In the end Kalix had wiped his mind clean of memories and emotions and instead replaced them with the single thought of serving Kalix. Deder had faithfully served him ever since.

And that was what he had planned for Tori. She was resisting his efforts to pry information from her mind. Getting something specific from a mind wasn't an easy thing to begin with. She had to almost lead him to the information in her mind before he could actually take it. Her defenses were proving to be better than he had expected, but he knew he only had to play the right scenario and she would all but tell him what he wanted to know. Then he would forcefully wipe her mind clean, a much easier task, and make her a loyal servant.

There was only so long she could hold him off. Then she would be his.

ZzZzZ

"Dedians are clones of Kalix's second in command, Deder. They wear suits made of a special metal that's light but very, very tough. Their helmets are equipped with computers that link them to Deder and he can control them or give them orders to follow. They have limited free will that goes only as far as adapting during battle. They're armed with blasters as well as swords made of the same metal as their armor."

"So, we'd be killing them too." Dustin sounded disappointed, but his resolve to fight beside his friends was absolute.

"Yes, but unlike the Lizarians they have no emotions and no true free will." Niko said. "They're like drones."

"I can deal with that."

"That's all well and good, but the biggest threat you'll face, other than monsters and the other Psychos of course, are the droigs." Niko said. "They're massive, bad tempered, stupid, aggressive creatures who are a threat to their own forces if not controlled properly. They pretty much work for Kalix of their own free will. They live to fight, kill, and destroy and he promises them all of that and then provides plenty of chances. He clones them as well, but unlike the other two he doesn't mess with their genetic make-up or personalities. I think he likes their aggressive, brutal nature and he doesn't want to change them. Droigs make up the largest number of his foot soldiers."

"What kind of chance do we stand against someone like Kalix?" Blake murmured as everything sank in.

"None if you give up hope." Niko replied. "You must have faith in yourself and your teammates. The closer you become, the better team you become, the better chance you have of beating him."

"Has anyone beat him?" Dustin asked.

"Of course, he's not all powerful. The Armed Covenant of Terosia sent him packing with his tail between his legs." Niko said. "A few others have managed to beat him back, but this planet is no where near as advanced as those. Hope will be your greatest weapon. Just don't give up hope."

ZzZzZ

"Shane!" Tori cried out in horror as Psycho Red snatched up her friend by his throat.

Tori started toward them, but Red sent a warning charge of energy through his captive and she halted immediately. Red laughed at her and gripped Shane tighter about the neck. Shane attempted to swipe at Red with his sword, but the Psycho slapped it out of his hand with frightening ease. Shane's struggles grew sluggish and Tori tried to make a move towards them again, but again Red sent a powerful jolt through Shane. Tori felt her heart pound hard as she realized she was going to watch one of her best friends get strangled because she couldn't do anything.

"Take me to Ninja Ops and I will let him live...for now." Red demanded.

Tori took a step toward them. "No! You know I won't take you there, why do you bother?"

"I will kill him."

"Ninja Ops is our only sanctuary. I won't give it up to you, not even for my best friend's life." Tori growled in return, her resolve firm.

"Tori...please." Shane gasped out.

"Take me to Ninja Ops or I will kill him." Red snarled.

"No, the Shane I know would rather die." Tori replied.

And just like that Dustin, Hunter, and Blake were there attacking Red with vigor. The illusion faded and she heard an angry roar in her mind. Then she was back in the interrogation room, Kalix glaring at her with absolute hatred. She flattened herself against the table as much as she could, fearing his terrible retribution. Instead she watched as a sickening grin spread across his face.

"You're most resistant, not at all what I expected from someone of such a primitive planet." Kalix said. "But it doesn't matter. I will find out what I want to know one way or another."

With that he turned and stalked out of the room. Seconds later two dedians walked in and unlatched her. Tori struck out at one, but the armored foot soldier had quick reflexes and easily caught her wrist in a vice-like grip. Neither dedian said anything as they dragged her out of the room and back to the holding cell where they tossed her in carelessly. Amias caught her and laid her down on the ground as her knees buckled.

"Well, it's either a good thing or a bad thing that she's still conscious." Amias said, glancing over his shoulder at Harper.

"If it has to do with Kalix it's probably bad." Harper replied.

"I didn't tell him anything. He couldn't get anything out of me." Tori said, her voice soft yet proud.

"Then you're twice the person I was." Harper said. "I led him right to what he wanted to know. I didn't know about his psychic powers when he captured me."

"It's not your fault Harper." Sizvu spoke up. "It could have happened to any of us."

"Oh don't give me that. Everyone was more experienced than me, I shouldn't have even been a ranger yet. Craggan hardly trusted me and then I went and got myself captured." Harper ranted. "It's my fault he learned where our main base was. It's my fault he learned about all our secret defenses. It's my fault they're all dead."

Sizvu gave him an even look. "I don't know what you expect me to say lad. I know that Craggan didn't take good care of you as a partner. He never should have let you get captured in the first place. I know that Baja got too complacent after Kalix seemed to disappear for almost a month. The only thing I can tell you is that neither Kardan or I blame you. That'll have to be enough for ya."

ZzZzZ

Yellow groaned at the deep rooted pain throbbing through his whole body as consciousness came back to him. He rolled onto his back and flopped an arm over his forehead as he tried to understand what was going on and why he hurt so bad. Then it all came rushing back to him. From the moment he picked up that necklace for the first time until the very moment he destroyed it. All the memories of what a monster he had become flooded his mind and overloaded his thoughts as he struggled to make sense of it all. It took him several long minutes to process it all and then even longer to accept what he had done, for the moment, and focus on what needed to be done.

With another groan he got to his feet and shook his head to clear it. He was relieved to find that he was still morphed as he wasn't sure he would have had the strength to do it. As it was he hoped he didn't get caught before he could get it all done. He wasn't sure he could act like the Psycho Yellow that everyone knew. Much of that attitude had been the necklace's fault. He took a moment to get his head together before he left his room on his final mission on Kalix's ship.

The tech room he needed was just down the hall and once inside he stood still with indecision. He knew of the rangers imprisoned in the holding cell. He desperately wanted to free them all, but he knew realistically they would have no place to go. Not only that he would have less of a chance of success if he freed more than one ranger. Making up his mind Yellow found the morphers he was looking for thanks to some helpful labeling and stored them in the small compartment on the side of his armor. He then grabbed a personal transporter, a flash bomb, an electro-disk, and two weapons that he sent to the same subspace storage as his scythe.

With that task done he left the tech room and headed down to the Droig Cryo-Storage and wasn't in the least bit surprised to see the master control room empty. He wasn't a computer whiz and he didn't know a lot about the cryo process, but he did know that the gas that kept the droigs asleep was a delicate balance and that if the proportions were tipped in one direction the gas would become poisonous. As he typed he had a brief flash of regret, thinking about what kind of monster he had really become if he was willing to take so many defenseless lives, but he shoved the feelings away. They were too much of a threat to let live. When the alteration was done he quickly locked the system with a password only he would know, and zipped out of the area. He knew alarms would begin going off, but by the time they would get his password overridden it would be too late for the six hundred droigs.

The dedians guarding the holding cell showed no reaction to his arrival, but acknowledged him enough to keep him out. In a movement too quick for the dedians to follow Yellow attacked them, knocking them out before sending out an electrical wave to fry the cameras.

Username: YellowRush

Password: xxxxxx

The shield serving as a door faded away. "C'mon Tori, there's no time to talk now."

"Huh?" Four confused voices echoed in unison.

"Let's just say I've come to my senses." Yellow replied. "There's no time to explain, but I can only take Tori with me. However, I'm not going to turn the shield back on, so if you manage to escape..."

"Go." Amias urged, giving Tori a gentle push toward the Yellow Psycho Ranger.

"I can't leave you." Tori argued.

"There's no time for ranger cliches right now." Harper said. "Go, we'll follow if we can."

However, before anyone could make another move Red and Crimson appeared in the doorway. Yellow reacted on pure instinct. He adjusted his visor and then threw the flash bomb in front of his two ex-teammates. Then he snatched Tori's arm, punched in the coordinates, and transported them both to Earth. Almost immediately Red and Crimson followed and attacked Yellow as he tried to protect Tori. Yellow blocked a high kick from Crimson only to receive a more powerful one to his ribs from Red. As he stumbled Red followed it with a kick to his knee and then a punch to the temple as Yellow collapsed. Yellow rolled away from Crimson's shield aimed for his face and right into Red's sword. Tori swore she could hear the flesh slicing open as the sword was shoved straight through Yellow's shoulder and into the ground. Yellow was pinned helplessly, pain lancing through his shoulder and body with each breath. Crimson straddled him and began pounding him mercilessly while Red advanced on Tori.

"I don't think so!"

Red groaned as the rest of the ranger team streaked in to place themselves between him and the Blue Ranger. At the same time Kale and Navy both forced Crimson to back off of Yellow. Red and Crimson moved to stand back to back as they were surrounded by their enemies. For the first time they were at a true disadvantage.

"You traitors will pay." Crimson snarled, his voice dripping with hate. He made sure Navy knew that he was talking directly to him. "I'll strangle you myself."

"I still don't fear you Terik." Navy replied firmly.

"I **will** change that."

With that Red and Crimson transported away. At once the rangers surrounded Tori, asking her questions about her health and wellbeing. She answered them quickly, but broke out of the group to go to Psycho Yellow's side. She still didn't understand what kind of change of heart he'd had, but she knew she deeply appreciated it. It hurt her to see anyone in pain and even more so because it was her fault.

"Will he be okay?" Tori asked.

Kale looked up, helmet hiding his reassuring smile. "Yeah, nothing a day in the healing chamber won't fix."

"Actually, four hours." Navy corrected.

"That's good." Tori murmured, the recent events beginning to weigh down on her.

Navy gently picked up his injured friend and followed Kale back to the ship. With them gone Tori allowed her own teammates to take her back to Ninja Ops. She knew she had some recovering to do. She would have nightmares about some of the things Kalix had shown her, but she knew she wasn't alone. Her friends would be there to support her and she knew with them she could overcome anything.


	17. Back In Blue

AN: Okay, I just wanted to mention my new writing journal where all these chapters and more are being posted. If ever doesn't let me log in, like the past day or so, new chapters will always be posted there. So, keep an eye on it for the most up to date chapters. As always thanks for the reviews!

ZzZzZ

"You are turning out to be no better than most of the monsters in my army." Lothor snapped. "You've had two traitors within 24 hours, two powerful traitors. That's not looking very good for you."

"Sir, I have everything under control." Kalix replied calmly.

"Two of your Psychos have gone rogue! That's not under control." Lothor said. "I should just replace you with someone more competent and be done with it."

"Sir, just give me a little time. I promise you everything is going according to plan." Kalix said. He didn't feel at all threatened by Lothor. When he was ready he would make his move, but he wasn't done playing yet.

"You have one week General. Then I'm putting Zurgane in charge." Lothor growled and then the view screen went blank.

Kalix smirked and leaned back in his seat. Lothor really had no idea who he was messing with. Lothor's army paled in comparison to his own. If he really wanted to he could wipe Earth completely out of existence, but it didn't suit his purposes. He wanted to be able to brag that he conquered and enslaved Earth when none before him could. Then all would tremble in fear of he was capable of doing.

"I still say we should just wipe him out of existence, Master. He's nothing more than a nuisance." Crimson grumbled as he and Red ushered Aurias into the command room.

"In due time." Kalix replied. He eyed Aurias, his eyes brightening just a little bit. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better, Master." Aurias said. "I'm ready for action."

"That's good. Dr. Radkee has cleared you for active duty again." Kalix told her. "Just in time too. Be ready to go to Earth. One of the traitors has one last mission to accomplish."

ZzZzZ

They hadn't talked about their feelings for each other yet. There was just an unspoken understanding between them. They needed each other and that was more important than explanations or excuses. It all just felt natural. Niko wrapped in Zadan's arms as he slept just felt natural to both of them. It was comfortable as well as comforting in a way that nothing else could be. Both of them slept easier than they had in a long time just knowing that the one they cared for was with them.

Suddenly Niko sat up. Zadan snorted and shifted, but didn't wake up as Niko climbed out of the tent Kale had set up for them in the cavern. He stiffly made his way to Kale's ship and the hatch Kale had left open for them. He climbed inside and headed straight to the hangar with complete disregard of anything else. In the hanger a blue containment field held the pouch with Psycho Blue's Gem of Power. He pushed the button that turned off the field and picked up the pouch. He then used the personal transporter Kale had given him and went to the surface.

ZzZzZ

Aurias leaned against a tree as she waited patiently. It was hard to be patient when she felt the burning need for the power she had once possessed. It was like a part of her had been torn viscously away, a part that gave her more power than she'd ever hoped to have. When she had the Gem of Power and became Psycho Blue she felt invincible. She could slap her enemies around with ease and feared nothing.

Without the power she felt vulnerable in a way she had never been before. After having such unbelievable power it made her realize how powerless she had always been. It reminded her that she had not been good enough to be a Knight Ranger; that her younger brother had been chosen instead of her. Without the power she felt like nothing and that was unacceptable.

Her ear piece buzzed suddenly. "Master Kalix has triggered the mission. Be ready."

She nodded, though no one would see her, and pushed away from the tree. She wasn't sure exactly what was going to happen, but she knew she would be ready for it. Then there was a flash of light that signified a transport beam. She grinned and stalked forward, ready to reclaim what was rightfully hers.

ZzZzZ

As the light of the transport beam faded from around him, Niko stood still and unmoving as if waiting for someone. The forest was cold and dark around him, the moon barely getting through the trees to provide light. A dark figure moved through the shadows toward Niko and swiftly took the offered pouch. It was only when he felt the Gem of Power reactivate that he snapped out of his trance.

"Psycho Blue is back!"

"Oh no..."

Niko stared wide eyed as a fully morphed Psycho Blue stood in front of him. His instincts kicked in and he back flipped away as he morphed. As he landed on his feet a kick caught him full on in the chest. He flew back and connected roughly with a tree. He ducked as Blue punched at him and tried to put some distance between them. Blue kept after him and pulled her cutlass to further shorten the distance between them. Navy pulled his quarterstaff and blocked a few swings, but she was innately quicker than he was and he couldn't quite keep up with her. She faked left and then swung at Navy as he moved the opposite direction. The cutlass caught him across the faceplate and spun him around as he fell. Mercilessly Blue stepped down on his back and pinned him down.

"Now you'll pay for betraying us." Blue sneered.

As predictable as ever Blue found herself being stopped by Psycho Yellow and the Knight Ranger. She backed away as Yellow swung his scythe at her neck and glared at him, her visor glowing slightly. She could read anger in his body language and knew that he was glaring at her.

"Watch your backs traitors." With that Blue transported away.

Yellow immediately rushed to Navy's side. He was so glad that he'd felt Psycho Blue's Gem of Power activate again. It was the only thing that had saved Niko's life. He knelt beside his friend and placed a hand on the younger man's back as Navy carefully sat up.

"I'm sorry." Navy murmured.

"It's okay Niko, you couldn't have known." Yellow said soothingly. But his words had no effect. He sighed sadly as Navy continued to repeat his apology over and over. He looked up as Kale approached.

Kale sighed deeply. "This isn't going to go over well."

ZzZzZ

"I knew it! I knew you were still working for Kalix!" Hunter exclaimed.

"I didn't do it on purpose! Kalix implanted the mission in my mind." Niko replied defensively.

"Oh and I suppose we should just take your word for it?" Hunter sneered, eyes narrowed to slits.

"Kalix has very powerful psychic powers and he's capable of doing many things to ones mind. He obviously left subliminal programming in Niko's mind." Zadan explained.

Hunter shot him the same distrustful glare. "And we're supposed to believe that coming from a Psycho Ranger? A week ago you were ready to snap Dustin's neck while he was in a coma and we're supposed to just trust you?"

Zadan winced at his words, remembering all too well his thoughts at that time. He'd been a monster. Psychotic and homicidal like something he had never dreamed he would be. His father would be ashamed if he were still alive. His teammates, the other Solar Ranger long dead, would have been disgusted at how he had acted. His eyes sought out Dustin, ready to apologize, but was surprised when Dustin gave him a look full of understanding and forgiveness. Apparently he had sorely underestimated how smart Dustin really was.

"No, we don't expect you to just trust us completely." Niko replied. "But we gave up everything we had to help you and your planet against the other Psychos and Kalix. I would hope you could put a little trust into that."

Shane spoke up then before Hunter could make a viscous comeback. "Besides Hunter, you're the last person that should be talking like that. I distinctly remember the positions being switched around not too long ago."

"It's not the same! We didn't seriously injure any of you guys." Hunter argued.

"No, but you did try to kill my father." Cam snapped bringing silence to the room.

At length Hunter finally spoke again. "You guys can put all the trust you want into those Psychos, but I don't trust them and nothing you say will change my mind."

Niko and Zadan watched with disappointment as Hunter stood and left the room. Niko shifted his eyes to the ground. He knew it was his fault Hunter didn't trust them. He also knew that there was nothing he could have done to stop himself, because he didn't know he was doing anything until it was way too late. That didn't stop him from blaming himself. The Psychos still under Kalix's control outnumbered them now. Together Crimson, Red, and Blue were stronger than Niko and Zadan even with the rangers backing them.

"It's not your fault Niko." Blake spoke up suddenly, breaking the silence. "Hunter isn't very trusting and probably wouldn't have trusted you even if this hadn't happened."

"I just gave him more of a reason not to trust us." Niko replied.

"He'll get over it. Just give him time."

ZzZzZ

"I never thought I'd say this, but it's good to have you back." Crimson said.

Blue smirked behind her helmet. "Yeah, well it's good to be back. Obviously you need me because this team has just fallen apart in my absence."

"That's not your fault, that's Mr. I'm-a-better-leader's fault." Red replied, giving Crimson a friendly shove.

"Yeah, well, shut up." Crimson barked, unable to come up with a good comeback. "Those two were weaklings anyway."

"We carried them through training." Red agreed. "They never should have been Psychos to begin with."

"A lesson we can teach them together." Blue said, a positively wicked grin hidden behind her helmet.

"Together." Red and Crimson agreed.

Kalix watched from outside of the War Room. He was pleased his plan had gone off without a hitch; though he had hoped Blue would be able to kill the traitorous Navy. That was okay though, he had the three strongest and best trained Psychos back to full strength and ready to take revenge on the traitors and take care of the pesky Ninja Rangers. Everything was going according to plan and even Lothor had to concede the plan had worked perfectly, though the evil ninja was still not happy about Navy and Yellow's betrayal. He wasn't happy about it either, but it hadn't been completely unexpected. Disappointing for sure, but not unexpected in the least considering they had both been Power Rangers. He'd heard many rangers say "once a ranger always a ranger" and he was sure that it was the truth. He was just glad his three best Psychos had never been rangers and had no plans of betraying him any time soon.

"Well done Psycho Blue." Kalix spoke up, announcing his presence. He watched as all three Psychos instantly stiffened and fell into a line like they used to. "It's good to have you back."

"It's good to be back Master." Blue replied respectfully. "Thank you for your plan to get my Gem back, I was beginning to really miss it."

"Well, I'm just glad that traitor came in handy one last time." Kalix said. "With any luck that's disrupted any trust the Ninja Rangers had in Psycho Yellow and Psycho Navy."

"It doesn't matter Master. We can handle them all." Crimson announced confidently.

Kalix frowned. "I want to believe that, but the odds are against you now. That Blue brat will recover quickly and the rangers will be at full strength plus that loathsome Knight Ranger and the two traitors. Things aren't looking very good for you."

"We can take whatever they throw at us." Red said, echoing Crimson's confidence.

"I wish I shared your confidence Psycho Red. However, I'm a realist and as I see it you're outnumbered now. Therefore, you've got a week before I call General Tarnin to bring The Rogues."

"Once a ranger always a ranger." Blue mused.

"Once a ranger goes rogue there's no going back." Kalix said. "A Ranger has to be truly bad to turn on their teammates without a spell or being under the influence of a foreign object."

"I don't trust them Master. The Rogues are self-serving; they only serve you because it serves their purpose." Psycho Red argued.

"No, they serve me because I would kill them if they said no." Kalix replied with a smirk. "They'll do what I tell them and they wouldn't dare betray me." The smirk faded from his face. "All the same I'd rather not bring them here and if I have to it had better be because you've died trying to defeat our enemies."

The three Psychos gulped and glanced at one another nervously. Red was the one to speak up. "Master, if you have a plan--."

"My only plan is to capture that blasted Knight Ranger again and torture him until he tells me where all the Gems of Power are hidden." Kalix growled. "I want you all to practice and train for a few days while I come up with a plan."

"Yes Master."

ZzZzZ

A few days did pass and Tori slowly began to recover from her experience on Kalix's ship. She began to accept that what she was seeing and feeling was real and not another of Kalix's manipulations of her mind. The second day she began talking to Blake about what had happened on the ship and he had been comforting and understanding. Tori was more thankful than her words could express and with Blake's support, as well as that of the rest of her friends, she made a swift recovery. She wouldn't be ready to face Kalix any time soon, but she was well enough for duty again.

"I wish we could have freed the other rangers Kalix has trapped up there." Tori told Blake as she sat cuddled in his arms. They were sitting on his bed with her curled up on his lap, head resting on his chest. "They helped to keep me sane in there."

"We'll get them out if we can Tori." Blake replied. "Seems I have to thank them for what they did for you."

"I hope you'll get your chance." Tori said. "I feel so bad for them. Harper and Sizvu had been there for two and a half years and Amias has been there for a year. There were two others that were unresponsive to everyone."

"I'm glad you weren't there long." Blake said, giving her a tight squeeze.

"Long enough." Tori said softly. "Blake, we're way over our heads with Kalix. It's much worse than we ever thought."

"I know. Niko told us about his armada and his army." Blake replied. "We may be over our heads, but we're not defeated and I'm not willing to give up without a fight."

"Blake...hearing about it from Harper and Amias...if Kalix gets serious I don't think we can stop him."

"Hey, don't think like that. If we're going to have any chance at all we have to stay positive." Blake admonished gently. "Have faith."

ZzZzZ

"I can't do this Zadan." Niko said. He sat beside Zadan as they watched the cloudless sky outside of Ninja Ops.

"Do what?" Zadan asked.

"Get attached, fight for another world again." Niko replied. "I lost one already."

"I can't stand by and watch another world fall to that damn snake." Zadan said firmly. "I won't stand by and do nothing."

"We can't win."

"Yes we can. Others have done it."

"They were more technologically advanced than this planet, than Kalix himself." Niko argued. "We may be powerful Zadan, but we can't help these people. I can't bear to get attached to them and then watch them die."

"Then leave, go wherever the hell you think you'll be safe, but pretty soon that won't be anywhere." Zadan snapped. "I think this planet means more than anyone realizes. I think there's a reason why so many evil empires have been drawn here. I can't walk away from that."

"What could make one planet so important?" Niko asked.

"Are you familiar with the Anasai?"

"Yeah, they were the first race in the known universe to reach space and colonize other planets. They were incredibly advanced and were also supposedly the ones to set up the power of the morphing grid." Niko said. "No one knows where they originated from, but it's suggested that they seeded the planet with their own genetic make up so that those that would come after them would essentially be the same."

Zadan smiled in approval. "It's also theorized that on that planet they left some very powerful devices behind with the most important being the Morphing Grid generator itself. Anyone to find that generator would be able to harness the greatest power ever."

"What does that have to do with Earth?" Niko asked.

"I think Earth is Ana'ukur, the home world of the Anasai." Zadan said. "That's why evil is drawn here. The greatest source of power in the known universe is here."

Niko paled. "If Kalix gets his claws on that nothing will be able to stop him."

"We can't let that happen no matter what."


	18. Jaldia

**_To: Master Kalix_**

_**From: Dareth**_

**I'm pleased to report Team Hellion is working together better than ever. They work together flawlessly. The simulation work is beautiful. I've never seen a group work so well together. They almost don't need to speak to communicate. They've also come up with their own system of non-verbal communication that includes hand signals I'm still trying to work out. The progress is better than expected. I don't think they'll need to stay here much longer. I think they'll be ready for whatever you have planned for them.**

_**To: Dareth**_

_**From: Master Kalix**_

Change of plans. I want you to tear the Hellions apart. I still want them to work efficiently as a team, but nothing more. I don't want them to be friends. I don't want them to be friendly to each other. As long as they can successfully complete missions, that's all I want. Do what you have to. Set them up for failure, Dareth. I don't want a close knit group. I want efficient warriors.

_**To: Master Kalix**_

_**From: Dareth**_

Master, with all due respect I have to object. This is the best teamwork I have ever seen. They're better than any team I've trained and that's saying something. If you tear this team apart you'll decrease their effectiveness by fifty percent. Zadan and Niko make the best team. They practically read each other's minds out there. I don't know if I could bring myself to do what you ask me.

_**To: Dareth**_

_**From: Master Kalix**_

I'm not giving you a suggestion or a choice. You'll do what I tell you or you'll pay the price of disobedience. I'll have your home world wiped clean with not even bacteria left. I want them to consider each other as teammates and nothing more. I don't care about percents or how close they are. They're my warriors and nothing more. Their feelings and any relationships they have don't mean anything. Do as you're told.

Niko sat back in his chair and looked at Zadan in complete shock. "Wait a minute, we were set up?"

"Kalix had his claw in what happened on Jaldia." Zadan snarled. "He wanted us to hate each other."

"Think he was afraid of how strong we were as a team?" Niko said.

"Probably," Zadan agreed. "And the bastard has been playing dumb this whole time."

"We have to tell them. Terik at least might care."

"I doubt it." Zadan replied. "I don't think any of them care anymore."

"You can't be sure of that." Niko argued. "Shouldn't we at least try? They should know the truth."

"And when do you plan on telling them? When they're trying to kill us for being traitors?"

Niko gave his friend a glare. "Stop arguing with everything I say!"

"Sorry." Zadan said with a sheepish grin. "I'm still trying to get out of old habits."

"It's okay, I understand. Let's just try to stop arguing, okay? We really need each other right now."

"And you didn't need me before."

Niko opened his mouth to retort when he saw the small smirk on his friend's face. He playfully punched the older man's shoulder. Zadan looked like he wanted to wrestle, but there was no room on Kale's shuttle and the Knight Ranger was sleeping in his room. Instead the two then went back to reading the files, amazed by how much of what happened had been so obviously set up. Even what happened between them. They were shocked to see that Dareth himself had been the one to do it. As a shapeshifter he had assumed Niko's form and blew off Zadan as he asked him out on a date, or as much of one as they could get on a military training base. Zadan winced at the memory it brought up and Niko was hurt to think that his friend had fallen for something like that. He finally understood where the sudden hostility had come from. As unexpected as it had been it had really hurt and the only way he had known to react was with anger.

"I'm sorry." Zadan said, though they both knew there was no reason to. "I shouldn't have fallen for it."

"Hey, none of us knew Dareth was a shapeshifter and even if we had I would have believed it was you." Niko replied reasonably. "Anyway, it's over and done with and we've moved on."

"I said some really uncalled for things though."

"So did I, so did Dareth in my form, so I can't say I really blame you for getting nasty after what he said." Niko replied.

Zadan gave his younger friend a look of awe. "Aren't you a little bit wise beyond your years?"

"My people believe in forgiveness, among other things. It's not in our nature to hold a grudge." Niko replied. "All that anger and hatred you saw was the evil Psycho Navy."

Zadan smiled, glad that they were finally actually verbally putting Jaldia behind them. He suddenly knew why Niko wanted the other Psychos to know what had really happened. It didn't change the fact that he thought they wouldn't care, but that wasn't why Niko wanted to tell them in the first place. In his heart Niko needed them to know they were forgiven, even if it didn't matter to them. And even though he knew they probably wouldn't care, some distant part of him wished that they would.

"So, how do you plan on telling them?" Zadan finally asked.

"One on one." Niko replied.

Zadan glanced at him. "You sound like you have a plan."

"I do, but it won't be easy." Niko said.

"Most things worth doing aren't easy." Zadan retorted thoughtfully. "What do you have in mind?"

"Well..."

ZzZzZ

Shane dodged Psycho Red's sword, spun around and flipped several ninja beams at his foe. Red batted them away with bored ease and flung his own energy beam at the Red Ranger. Shane used his sword to deflect them back at Red who simply absorbed his own power. The two charged each other for the third time that fight and as usual Shane quickly found himself on the receiving end of a brutal attack.

Not far away Dustin and Hunter were tag teaming Crimson with little success. The Crimson Psycho Ranger was hardly phased by having two opponents and easily managed to throw them both around. When the two did start to gain an advantage he simply knocked Dustin to the ground and pinned him with one foot while batting Hunter around with embarrassing ease.

Blake and Tori were dealing with Psycho Blue together and were working as a good team, but Blue was no push over. She kicked Blake up into a tree and in the same movement knocked Tori flat on her back. Tori rolled away and to her feet, trying to use her ninja ropes to gain some kind of advantage, but Blue used the ropes to throw her around. With a hard jerk Blue made Tori stumble toward her only to be caught by a viscous kick to the shoulder that spun the Blue Ranger to the ground.

Psycho Navy glanced at Psycho Yellow as they watched what was happening. "Quickly."

"Quickly." Yellow agreed. "Just like Tarasis IV."

Crimson pushed down hard on Dustin's ribs as he sent a searing bolt of energy into Hunter as the Crimson Ranger tried to help his friend. Crimson laughed and looked down at his captive and therefore didn't have a chance to defend himself. One moment he was standing over the Yellow Ranger and the next he was wrapped tightly in energy ropes of yellow and navy coloring and being quickly hauled away from the battle. Somewhere behind him he heard Red give a shout of anger, but it quickly faded as his captors zipped even further away. Then he had felt the familiar tingle of teleportation before he was finally placed on the ground.

Crimson was in complete shock. He was still trying to catch up with what had just happened to him as he looked around his surroundings. There was not much to look at. He was in a small cave with no exit or entrance that was a perfect circle just big enough for him to stand up and move around comfortably. Or he would have been able to move around if some of the space wasn't occupied. White-hot rage flashed through him as he realized what had happened.

"You!" He roared, unwisely leaping at his ex-teammates.

It was unwise because his upper body was still wrapped tightly in yellow and navy energy ropes. Yellow simply held out a hand and shoved him backwards. Unable to move his arms to keep his balance, Crimson stumbled and fell on his butt. He watched with pure rage as his two captors demorphed as if he were no longer a threat. He tried using an energy wave to break the ropes, but was unsuccessful.

"Calm down Terik, we just want to talk." Niko said.

"Rot in the depths of space, traitors." Crimson snarled.

"It's about Jaldia." Zadan added, ignoring Crimson's insult.

"I won't believe your lies." Crimson growled. "You betrayed us."

"Kalix--."

"**This isn't about Kalix**!" They both jumped at Crimson's enraged roar. "This is about you betraying us, me, Dariv, and Aurias. You betrayed your team."

Zadan snorted. "There was hardly a team left Terik. We all hated each other."

"We weren't friends, but we were still a team. A somewhat dysfunctional team, but a team nonetheless."

Niko could feel the situation slipping away from them. Terik was pulling further and further away and they had to reach out to him before it was too late. "It was all Kalix's fault. He ordered Dareth to set us up, to tear our friendships apart."

"Bull." Crimson snapped. "You just want to turn me against Kalix. It won't work."

Zadan and Niko glanced at each other. They had hoped it wouldn't come down to more forceful measures, but their ex-teammate was being stubborn. Zadan stepped forward and pulled an electro-disk out from behind his back. He'd changed the charge to be shorter than usual, but pack more of a punch. It would be enough to demorph their captive. At the same instant Niko reached out to the connection between himself and Crimson and waited for Zadan to make his move. Crimson tried to scramble backwards, but Zadan lunged and slapped the electro-disk on his chest. Crimson grunted and jerked as the charge ripped through his suit, everything went white for a moment and then he demorphed. Instantly he felt an intrusion in his mind and tried to close himself off, but it was too late and information suddenly flooded his mind. It wasn't just Niko telling him what had happened, it was Niko's memories of reading the messages between Dareth and Kalix and that included Niko's emotional reactions to the revelations.

_Too much..._Terik whimpered mentally, his mind overloaded by all the new information.

_Sorry..._Niko pulled out of Terik's mind. The information had been inserted and it was up to Terik to sort it out.

"What did you do?" Zadan asked.

"I showed him what he didn't want to see." Niko replied.

Terik mentally struggled to sort everything out, but there was so much. He felt everything Niko had felt upon reading the messages. He was overwhelmed by the emotions and for a long while he could only watch the scene playing in his mind. Slowly though he gained control again and was able to move through the memories and read the things for himself. At first he felt everything Niko had, anger and betrayal. He wanted to make Kalix pay for what had been done to them. He wanted to make Kalix pay for taking the only meaningful friendships he'd ever had away. But like a wave of cold water his anger was washed away by realization. There was nothing he could do. What was done was done and he couldn't do anything to Kalix for it.

After a long time of stifling silence Terik finally spoke. "So what?"

"What?" Zadan and Niko asked in unison.

"I didn't stutter. I said so what? What the hell kind of difference does it make?" Terik snapped. "So we were all turned against each other. We had to have pretty flimsy friendship to fall apart so quickly in the first place. Maybe it was only a matter of time and Kalix forced it before we fell apart at an inopportune moment."

Niko gaped at him. "You don't really believe that. Did our friendship mean nothing to you?"

"Of course it did." Terik said honestly. "You guys were like little brothers to me. But maybe that was part of the problem. Emotional attachment gets in the way. I should have known better, I've been a soldier my whole life. I never should have gotten attached."

"Then you regret it?"

"No! I didn't say that." Terik quickly replied. "You guys were a bright spot in my life where there had been only darkness, but it wasn't meant to last. I can't be a good soldier while being attached to anyone and a soldier is all I am."

"That's not true." Zadan argued. "I don't care what your government beat into you before, it wasn't true then and it's not true now. You can still be our friend."

"You turned your back on your team." Terik said firmly. "I don't care if you betrayed Kalix. You betrayed your team."

Niko shook his head. "You never seemed to care about the team or any of your teammates. Where have you been hiding this attitude?"

"You should know better. I hid my hurt behind anger, but...I still care even though I tried not to." Terik replied. "But you've crossed the line now and I can't say that I don't understand why. You guys are both rangers, never meant to fight for the bad guys. I understand you're good guys, but that doesn't change how I feel about your betrayal."

Zadan and Niko shared a sad look. Niko wished Aurias was there so that they could have a final meeting of the Blue Dragons. He found it hard to believe that a group of six that had sworn to stick together had fallen apart within a year of its formation. First Walker had been killed in a live fire training mission when Dariv ordered him to secure a tower on his own. Then Zadan had been forced to kill Alexi on Jaldia and that had been the toughest thing Zadan had ever done. Now, two had broken the pact and the Blue Dragons were broken for good. The tattoo they had all gotten meant nothing.

"For what it's worth," Niko said, "I forgive you."

Terik looked a little stunned as he fumbled with what to say in reply. "Huh?"

"For what happened on Jaldia and afterwards. I forgive you."

"Oh." Terik looked from Niko to Zadan, who shrugged, and then back at Niko. "Well, I forgive you for all that too, but not for the betrayal. I can never forgive you for that."

"I understand. Will you share what you've learned with the others." Niko asked.

"It won't change things." Terik said.

"I know."

"Then why share it?"

"Because I need you all to know I forgive you for what happened." Niko answered.

Terik gave him a weird look, as if unable to understand his ex-teammate. "Whatever you say Sparky."

Niko and Zadan glanced at each other, a grin spreading across Niko's face at the old nickname. The Navy Psycho quickly hid his grin and motioned with is head toward the still bound captive. Zadan nodded and they both looked back at their ex-teammate.

"If you feel we're no longer friends, then this is it. After this we fight like enemies. No more holding back on our part." Zadan said. "The Blue Dragons are disbanded."

Terik nodded, not able to find the words to say. Something, somewhere deep inside him cried out in distress. He watched as his ex-teammates' faces hardened and their emotions were locked away. He opened his mouth to say something more, but he was teleported away. In stunned silence he sat on the forest floor, his mind trying to catch up with everything that had just happened as the yellow and navy energy ropes dissipated. He allowed himself only a moment to mourn the true loss of the friendship, before he closed himself up and became the heartless Psycho Crimson once more. But no matter how hard he tried to ignore it a part of himself kept screaming at him that he had made a big mistake.

ZzZzZ

"Wait a minute, you had Psycho Crimson captured and at your mercy and you let him go?"

Niko and Zadan shared an exasperated look as Hunter went into full on rant mode. "Look, that was personal. You wouldn't understand."

"I understand you had a dangerous enemy in a position to keep him out of commission and you let him go." Hunter snapped. His eyes lit up with accusations and neither Psycho were surprised by his next words. "You faked capturing him so you could tell him everything you've learned!"

"Not a chance." Niko replied quickly, but not quickly enough to appear overly defensive. "We found out the truth about what happened to tear our friendships apart. We had to share with him what really happened on Jaldia."

"I've seen that mentioned in your profiles." Cam said, finally paying attention to the conversation.

Niko and Zadan shared another look and Zadan chose to speak first. "Jaldia was the location of our final month of training. There were eight of us that survived training and didn't wash out. At first everything was okay, the first week was amazing. We surpassed all of Dareth's expectations as a team."

"Then things started to go horribly wrong. On the second week there we were on a live fire exercise. Walker made a risky move and paid for it with his life. That just set the stage for the rest of it. A few days later Dariv paired Samous and me up for a quick infiltrate and sabotage, but something went wrong. Samous and I got separated somehow and then Dariv gave the word to abort the mission and I followed abort procedure, but I couldn't find Samous. Dariv made me leave him behind." Niko explained. He swallowed hard and looked to Zadan for comfort. "We never saw him again, but Dareth wouldn't tell us how he died. In fact, we were ordered to never speak of him again."

"Like we could just forget about a teammate so easily." Zadan grumbled.

"After that things went down the hole." Niko said. "Terik was really mad at Dariv for forcing me to leave Samous behind and he was really mad at me for doing it. Things just didn't get better from there."

"Wait, you said eight. That leaves six." Blake spoke up.

Instantly the mood changed between the two Psychos and it was Niko offering Zadan support. "I...um...I was forced to kill one of our other teammates, Alexi." He took a deep breath. "Dareth woke me up one night for a late night training exercise. He told me it was live fire and that if I didn't kill I would be killed. He called it the Hunter vs. the Hunted and had me transported to a section of the jungle. There it turned out that I was the hunted, only equipped with a knife and one flash bomb. He had a plasma rifle with a sniper scope, an electro-disk, and a blaster. I..." Zadan trailed off, swallowing hard as the memories came back to him. "I set a trap for him and blinded him with the flash bomb...I looked into his eyes when..."

Zadan didn't finish, but he didn't need to. Niko wrapped an arm around his friend's shoulders and pulled him close. "Things just went to hell from there and now we find out that almost everything that happened there was set up to tear our friendships apart."

"Kalix feared our strength as a team."

"Wow, he makes Lothor look like an angel." Dustin said.

Zadan shot a look at Hunter. "That's why we captured Terik, we had to tell him the truth. I wanted to believe that it would make a difference, turn him against Kalix for what he did, but too much damage has been done."

"If we'd known what we know now before we betrayed the team it would be a different story, but we've crossed the biggest line and there's no going back."

ZzZzZ

"Kalix set it all up?" Dariv asked in shock.

"Maybe not all of it, we did a good job helping it along, but all of the major stuff was set up by him." Terik said. "That slimy reptile took the only good thing I've ever had away from me."

"He played us for fools." Aurias snarled.

"No more." Dariv said firmly. He glanced at his two remaining teammates. "The moment we get a chance to make him pay we show him that you don't mess with Psychos."


	19. The Samurai

AN: Sorry this had taken so long. I moved and was without the internet for the past week and a half. Another chapter will be along as soon as my beta gets back to me on it. The one good thing about not having the internet is I took more time writing than reading and I'm several chapters a head. It's safe to say there won't be a lack of chapters any time soon. This story takes place a few days after the last chapter. This takes the place of Samurai's Journay, so some things are the same and some things quite obviously aren't. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, hopefully you'll continue to enjoy the story wtih where it's going.

ZzZzZ

_Why can't anything be easy for once? _Cam thought as he felt himself being pulled to his feet and quickly checked his companions to make sure they were okay. Hunter and Blake looked about as good as they could considering the circumstances. He still wasn't sure what his father's logic had been in sending the two Thunders with him, but he knew there had to be a reason. His father never did anything without good reason.

Sure that his companions were okay he looked around their surroundings. They were in a dimly lit hall that looked very old and smelled musty and dank. It was a dead end behind them and a dark, foreboding corridor ahead. The fire of a torch nearby gave the only flickering light and it created ominous shadows that had Cam looking over his shoulder. He reached out and took the torch out of the dusty holder and held it carefully away from him. Glancing briefly at the mirror he and the Thunders had walked through he shook his head. He still couldn't believe it had worked, but he had more important things to focus on. Cautiously he made his way forward, prepared for something to jump out of the shadows at him. He was vaguely aware of Hunter and Blake following him.

"I know my father wanted you to come with me, but I want to do this myself. Don't help unless I ask for it, okay?" Cam said, glancing over his shoulder at the two Thunders.

"Sure thing." Hunter said. He thought he understood why, but he wasn't going to say anything.

They continued down the corridor and through a swinging wood door. Inside was a cavernous room. There was nothing special about the room itself, just a platform raised to a table's height. Cam paid no attention to it. His eyes were drawn something else, something much bigger, and something very alive. Fierce amber eyes stared down at him from a very lizard like face. The large green scaled body was uncurling, large powerful limbs stretching and making _whooshing_ noises as they moved. A long tail unwound as massive wings spread with a sound like fluttering sheets in the wind. The green scales shimmered in the torchlight as if the creature was covered in precious gems. Cam took an involuntary step back.

_Oh my god..._Cam's mind was too shocked at what he was seeing to consider getting away. _It's a dragon! Dragons aren't real. _Then he reminded himself that he had stepped into another dimension and anything could be possible.

"Holy sh--."

Hunter smacked a hand over his brother's mouth. "Shhhh!"

The green scaled dragon yawned wide, rows of razor sharp teeth gleaming in the torchlight. Then it fixed them with an unwavering look and Cam was humbled by the amount of power he could see in the eyes. There was something else too; something hadn't exactly expected to see. There was intelligence, millions of years of wisdom that Cam could never match.

**_If you are here to bargain or trade I am not interested. My treasures are my own. _**The female voice boomed inside his mind. He resisted the urge to cover his ears, knowing that it would do him no good.

"I'm looking for something - a power source." Cam replied, somewhat nervously.

The dragon eyed him again, amber eyes flashing slightly. **_You seek that which was given to me to protect._**

"You have it?" Cam was a little shocked. That meant his mother had talked to the dragon herself, maybe even befriended it.

**_I do_**. The dragon brought her tail around so that the tip was in Cam's face. The amulet was on a necklace that was looped around the tip of the dragon's tail. He reached out to it, but the dragon jerked it back with a snort. Cam cringed as hot air rushed over him. **_And I will not give it to just anyone. You are not the first to have come for it._**

"Lothor."

The dragon growled and the room vibrated with her anger. **_That one had no respect for me or the power he wanted. If I had moved just a little faster he would have made a nice snack. _**She paused and sniffed the air, rustling Cam's hair again. **_You are of the same blood as he._**

Cam balked, disregarding his fear of the massive creature. "Not likely, he's the reason I need to amulet. He's trying to conquer Earth."

**_Whether you accept it or not is of little consequence, you are of the same blood as the one known as Lothor. _**She sat back on her haunches and regarded him thoughtfully. **_You are also of the same blood as she who gave me the amulet._**

"She was my mother."

**_She has passed? _**The dragon's eyes softened at that. Suddenly her whole demeanor changed. **_I am sorry to hear of that, Cameron Watanabe, your mother will be missed by all dragon kind. However, knowing who you are does not change my position on the amulet. I will not just give it to you. You must prove yourself worthy of having that which I protect._**

"But there is a monster terrorizing Blue Bay Harbor. I have to get the amulet and go back." Cam argued, feeling more at ease with the dragon as the time ticked by.

**_That is unfortunate, however, I must know that the one who takes the amulet will use it properly and be able to protect it as I have. _**The dragon replied patiently. **_The longer you argue with me the longer you have to wait to get what you need._**

Cam sighed in defeat. "What do I have to do?"

ZzZzZ

Psycho Yellow ducked and dodged away from Psycho Blue's cutlass, but everywhere he went Psycho Crimson's shield was waiting to bash him. He tried throwing a little energy at them, but Crimson just used his shield to deflect it back at him. Blue charged him with a swipe at his head, but he ducked and swung out his scythe to trip her. At the same time Crimson caught him with a teeth rattling kick to the face that caused him to see bright white for several moments. As he came back to reality he heard Navy cry out in agony and felt his protective instincts flare. He rolled away from Blue's cutlass and to his feet just in time to duck a shield bash. He planted his shoulder in Crimson's gut and shoved him backwards into Blue, causing both Psychos to hit the ground. With that opening he looked for his companion and growled at what he saw.

Red had Navy by his throat, lifted off his feet and pinned to the crackling shield. As the shield fed power into Navy from one side, Red was sending a charge of his own. Navy's suit was sparking and his struggles were growing weaker as the punishment took its toll on his body. He wouldn't last much longer.

With only a few moments to spare before his own opponents attacked again, Yellow threw his scythe with precise aim. It flew as straight as a long handled object could and managed to lodge itself in the shoulder of the arm Red was using to hold Navy. Red bellowed and dropped Navy as he reached back with the other hand to try and pry out the blade. Yellow smiled to himself as he watched Navy recover quickly and get back into the fight. However, his distraction cost him. Blinding pain radiated from his leg as Aurias brutally stabbed him, aiming to take him off his feet. His leg gave out and as he fell Crimson's shield connected with his face and everything went black.

ZzZzZ

"We have to help them!" Dustin exclaimed.

"We can't. Even if we had our powers we couldn't get through that shield." Shane replied.

"I can't watch this." Tori said, quickly leaving the room. Dustin and Shane shared a look, both wondering which one should go after her. In the end Shane went, leaving Dustin watching the battle alone.

Dustin grimaced as he watched Navy struggle to get to Yellow's side. "Cam better hurry."

ZzZzZ

Cam sighed as he stood beside a lake of beautifully pure water. That would have to be the first one for the dragon to send him after. Glancing around he saw nothing but trees around him, even though he felt eyes digging into the back of his head and knew it wasn't Hunter or Blake. He hoped it wasn't something that would be waiting for him when he came out.

"Be careful." Hunter said.

"We'll be here if you need us." Blake added.

"You guys be careful too, something doesn't feel right." Cam said. He glanced around a little more.

"We'll be fine. It's not like there's a big snake waiting to get the drop on us or something."

With that lovely thought in his mind Cam put the satchel the dragon had given him on the ground, took a deep breath, and dove into the lake. It wasn't what he had expected. The water felt good at a temperature that was neither to cold nor too warm. And it was so clear, untouched by man-made pollution. He was sure he would have been able to see the bottom of the lake if he had better vision to begin with.

_It would be at the bottom, wouldn't it? _Cam thought as he kicked down further and further. His lungs were beginning to burn, but he didn't want to have to try and come this far again. He swam harder, squinting to see better, and vaguely saw something perched precariously on a ledge of a very deep ravine. He reached out and his fingers just brushed the stone when something caused the water above him to ripple. Glancing up quickly he nearly gasped in surprise to see a very, very big snake twisting back around to come directly at him. He resisted the urge to make any sounds of fear and tried to propel himself upwards. The snake was much faster than he could ever be in the water and it had him wrapped in multiple coils before he could get very far at all. _I'm going to kill Blake for giving the universe ideas._

On shore Hunter stood stiffly, staring into the water and watching for Cam to break the surface. He couldn't bring himself to sit down and relax like Blake was. Something felt incredibly wrong. His inner ninja, his deepest instincts, everything was screaming that something was wrong. The tiger within him was roaring for action, for him to do something rather than standing around and waiting while something really bad could be happening. He scanned the surface, but saw nothing.

_Help!_

Hunter jerked and instinctively looked at Blake. He was the only person he'd ever heard communicate clearly with him mentally and only in times of great need. He realized quickly that it couldn't be his brother because Blake was looking at him with the same wide-eyed expression. Both turned their gazes to the water and Hunter's keen eyes spotted movement under the water. It looked like a struggle. He pulled the spike that had been given to him to use from his belt. It was from near the very tip of the dragon's tail and was therefore short enough to be considered a dagger, or small sword. Without any more thought he dove into the water, ignoring Blake's shout.

The water was clear and Hunter had good vision that pierced the watery depths easily. What he saw would have surprised him if he hadn't already heard Cam's plea for help. Still, the giant snake wound around his friend was enough to give his heart a jolt. He made a beeline for them, kicking with all his strength. By the time he reached them Cam had almost completely stopped struggling. Hunter kicked hard to close the small distance between them and when he was close enough he lashed out with the dagger, shoving it through the snake's skin on it's back. He felt the animal twitch, but it didn't release its hold on Cam and Hunter could tell the situation was getting desperate.

_Hunter! _He felt and heard his brother's worry.

Hunter knew he needed to end the struggle quickly. He yanked the dagger out and followed the snake's coiled body to the head. Without any hesitation he plunged the dagger into the reptile's skull. Instantly the snake's body slackened and Hunter pulled his teammate out of its coils. He kicked for the surface, his lungs burning for air already. Cam was dead weight in his arms and Hunter feared his friend had simply been underwater too long and with the snake squeezing the life out of him...Hunter broke the surface and drew in a deep breath as he struggled to pull Cam to the shore. As soon as he got close Blake waded out to him and helped him pull Cam ashore.

"Oh god Hunter, he's not breathing."

ZzZzZ

Navy threw himself between Yellow and the rest of the Psychos. He jabbed his quarterstaff into Crimson's ribs and kicked him backwards as in the same move he ducked low and bashed Red's knee before tripping his ex-leader. That put him in a vulnerable position for Blue, who swung her cutlass in a downward arc at his neck. Navy threw his quarterstaff up in his defense, but that left him open for a rough kick to his chest that knocked him flat on his back. Instinctively he rolled away and to his feet, but the move was clumsy and slow and it left him open to a viscous swipe of a saber followed by a shield-bash to the face.

_Wake up Zadan! Wake up or we're both dead!_ Navy called out to Yellow's unconscious mind. He received no answer and the Yellow Psycho Ranger didn't even stir.

Navy rolled as the saber came down at him and he threw a handful of energy at his attacker. He heard a grunt and the satisfying sound someone tumbling across the ground. That gave him enough of an opening to get to his feet, but he immediately had to defend himself from Crimson and Blue as they went at him hard. He thought it was a really good thing he paid a lot of attention when they were training and was pretty familiar with both their fighting styles, but he never thought he'd be using that against them.

"You may as well surrender Niko, you can't beat the three of us by yourself." Blue sneered as Navy struggled to keep up with two opponents.

Navy didn't reply, but he knew it was true. He could keep up with them for a little while, but they were all more experienced fighters than he was. As much as he struggled it showed how much more experience they had. If he showed a weakness or a flaw they were right in there taking advantage of it. It didn't help when Red joined them, trying to take him from behind. That forced Navy to constantly shift around, twist and turn to try and keep all three in sight. A kick to his back threw off his balance and his rhythm was broken. Crimson used his shield to bat Navy's quarterstaff to the side and that left him open for two simultaneous slashes across his chest. His suit sparked wildly and he stumbled backwards. Red and Blue went at him again and he managed to block both their weapons, but a kick to his stomach made him stumble again, right into Crimson's waiting arms. Instantly his arms were jerked behind his back and the quarterstaff was yanked away. His feet left the ground and all of a sudden he was helpless with his only ally out cold and unable to help him.

ZzZzZ

Hunter sat back with relief as his CPR finally had an effect. Blake rolled Cam onto his back as the older man coughed up the water that had gotten into his lungs. The two brothers shared a relieved look and watched as Cam struggled to bring air into his lungs. Hunter put a reassuring hand on Cam's back and waited patiently as Cam recovered from the ordeal he'd just suffered. It took a few minutes before Cam finally acknowledged the two brothers as he turned over onto his back and looked up at them and a glare was instantly pointed at Blake.

"Giant snake." Cam hissed and Blake winced.

"I'll keep my mouth shut." The younger Thunder said.

"You do that."

Hunter smirked to himself as he and Blake helped Cam to his feet. The smirk faded when Cam took a step back toward the water. "Where are you going?"

"The stone is still down there." Cam replied.

"I'll get it." Blake said.

Cam opened his mouth to object, but Blake was already under the water. He shot an annoyed look at Hunter, who shrugged and looked away. They both watched anxiously for Blake to break the surface and when he did he held up the stone, a triumphant smile on his face. Hunter smiled a looked back at Cam.

"One down, three to go."

Cam took the stone from Blake and looked intently at it. It was about palm sized and reminded him a lot of an egg. It was mostly white, except around the middle where there was a wavy line of light blue about as thick has his index finger circling the thing. In appearance there was nothing special, but he knew there was more to the stone than he could see. He put it in the satchel and put it around his neck just as he and the Thunder brothers were transported back to the dragon's lair.

**_I am impressed by your care for one another. _**The green dragon said as the group appeared.

"Does that mean you'll give me the gem?" Cam asked, though he sincerely doubted anything could be that easy.

_**No.**_

"It was worth a shot." Cam mused. "Now what?"

_**It defeats the purpose of having a challenge if I have to tell you what to do. **_

"I bet it has to do with this." Blake spoke up. He stood next to the raised platform Cam had noticed when he first walked in.

Cam shot the younger Bradley brother a glare, but walked over to where he stood. Blake was right. The platform had round holes that looked perfectly sized for the water stone he had just retrieved. Other than the holes there were also riddles above each hole, engraved right into the stone, but inlayed with gold so that they stood out. Cam groaned. He hated riddles; not that he wasn't fairly good at them. He just disliked doing them.

"Maybe you should get all the stones before you try and solve these riddles." Hunter suggested.

"Well, it's not hard to tell what I'm supposed to do." Cam said. "There are four elements, four holes, and four riddles. That means I'm supposed to match the stones with the riddles."

"That shouldn't be too hard." Blake said.

"That's what worries me."

ZzZzZ

Kale was beating himself senseless against the shield, the energy crackling against his suit as he struggled to get to Navy and Yellow. It was killing him watching them getting decimated by their ex-teammates. It was like watching his own teammates being killed right in front of him all over again. He couldn't stand it. He was perfectly willing to beat himself unconscious if it meant he just might find a weakness in the shield and get inside to help them.

Suddenly he felt a tingle down his spine and ducked just as an armored fist drove into the shield from behind him. He spun around, sweeping out his leg and tripping his attacker. He wasn't surprised to see it was a Dedian. He also wasn't surprised to find about twenty more of them and Deder himself waiting for their chance at him. He fell into a fighting stance and watched as they all did the same with uniform precision.

"You are coming with us." Deder droned.

"I think not."

The dedians moved simultaneously and Kale was quickly surprised to see how efficiently they fought as a group. Their teamwork was impressive and even though he was easily fending them off he knew that a large enough group of them could overwhelm him. Then Deder moved into the mix and things got a little more interesting. It was as if the dedians were taking cues from their namesake. Deder fought with pinpoint accuracy, seeking out weaknesses and exploiting them. Kale found that while the dedians by themselves were hardly a challenge, Deder himself was more worthy opponent.

"Surrender." Deder ordered.

Kale rolled his eyes and faked a sweep. Deder fell for it, jumping into the air only to be caught by a viscous kick to the chest that sent him flying. The dedians moved in again and Kale realized with a start that they were multiplying. For every dedian he sent down two or three more took itself place. He was going to be quickly overwhelmed

ZzZzZ

"A cave. Go figure." Hunter grumbled.

"Hey, better than digging in the dirt." Blake reasoned.

"And climbing a mountain." Cam added.

"I hate to think what you'll have to do for Thunder." Blake continued.

Cam shot the younger Thunder a glare just before all three of them were transported out of the dragon's lair and to their last destination. They were back on the mountain they had gotten the air stone on, but they were further down and right in the middle of a storm that hadn't been there moments ago. He could sense something on the air. He wasn't a ninja and least of all a Thunder Ninja, but he could feel something different about this storm. It was laced heavily with magic.

"This isn't natural." Hunter announced. His skin was crawling with the unnaturalness of it, but at the same time he felt energized by it.

"The dragon created this." Cam replied. "The stone will probably be in the most severe part of the storm."

Cam winced as he watched lightening crackle first across the sky and then down to the ground. Thunder instantaneously followed, shaking the ground. Another bolt of lightning seared the pitch black sky and was followed by two more before the thunder caught up with them. The mass of black clouds were swelling, rolling, and almost boiling with unnatural fury. Violent gusts of wind whipped at him and forced him to take a step and he glanced at the two brothers. Hunter and Blake were unmoved by the forces of the storm, both were practically surging with energy. The effect the storm was having on the Thunder Ninjas was amazing and the scientific part of his mind wanted to analyze it all, but he knew he didn't have time for that. They might not have been in danger in the storm, but he was. He needed to get the thunder stone and get away.

"Hey Cam, I don't think---."

Thunder ripped through the air, drowning out the rest of Blake's statement. Cam was already heading further into the storm. Blake and Hunter shared a worried look. They both could feel the supercharged energy in the magic fueled storm cell. Cam wasn't safe. Cam couldn't go any further into the storm or something could happen. The two brothers moved in unison and easily caught up with Cam seeing as how they didn't have any problems moving through the savage winds.

"You should let us get the stone." Hunter yelled over the wind.

"No! This is my quest!" Cam argued.

"It's too dangerous for you in this storm!" Blake countered. "If you go any further you could be killed."

Cam's reply was cut off before it could even form. The two brothers felt the telltale tingle in their spines and readied themselves, but Cam had no defense. The lightning struck with brutal intensity and the two Thunders easily channeled the energy away from themselves and into the ground, but Cam had no such ability. He was thrown backwards, smoking and sizzling in an unnerving way. The two brothers quickly went to their friend's side and were relieved to find him still conscious, though a little dazed.

"No more arguing. This is the part of the test where you learn teamwork Cam." Hunter said. He looked at his brother. "Stay here while I get the stone."

"No!" Cam yelled, grabbing Hunter's leg.

"Are you crazy or just stupid? If you think that stings imagine what it would have been like if we hadn't been beside you channeling most of it away from you!" Hunter yelled back. "Dude, you're done proving yourself. The last thing you have to do is show you're willing to let others help you, because that happens a lot when you're on a team."

Cam nodded his assent, too exhausted and sore to speak. He relaxed back on the ground and watched as Hunter charged into the frightening black depths of the storm. Beside him Blake watched his older brother go with confidence that Hunter would find the stone and return safe, which would not have been the case for Cam. Stubborn as he was the storm would not have had pity for his lack of Thunder abilities.

Hunter easily made his way through the storm and as he moved he realized he could sense the thunder stone. Cam never would have been able to get it. The storm itself harbored the stone and only a Thunder Ninja would be able to call it. It was then he came to another startling realization. The storm was sentient. Maybe not intelligent, but in some way that was well beyond his understanding the storm could sense them and knew its purpose. That gave Hunter an idea, but he felt slightly foolish.

With a sigh he let go of his tension and mentally reached out to the storm. Immediately he felt the storm's anger and hostility toward the one it saw as an intruder. Hunter tried to feed it emotions to placate it, but the storm wanted nothing more than for the non-Thunder to leave the area. Hunter then communicated their need for the stone, but the storm didn't understand what the stone was. That set his plan back a little bit. He had hoped in some way that the storm could give it to him. He was discouraged until he realized that the storm just didn't know what a stone was. If he asked for what the storm was guarding then maybe it would give it to him. He communicated this need. The answer he got didn't need to be in words. He understood the storm perfectly.

_**MINE!**_

The situation was getting ridiculous. How was he supposed to get the stone from the storm when it didn't understand his need and felt possessive about what it was guarding? To add to his problems he felt the storm gathering more power - it intended to kill Cam. Hunter knew he had to do something before the storm struck. He projected his feelings about protecting Cam to the storm, hoping it would feel that if a Thunder Ninja could trust Cam, then so could it. If anything that just upset the storm even more. Hunter needed help. Without hesitation he ran back to Blake. He wished he had at least four more Thunder Ninjas to help, but his brother would have to be enough.

"Blake, this storm is alive." Hunter announced.

"You're kidding."

"Nope, can't you feel it? It really wants to kill Cam." Hunter replied.

Cam shot the Thunder Ninja a glare. "That's a comforting thought."

"Relax. Magic or no magic the basics of the storm are still the same." Blake said. "Hunter and I can take care of this."

Cam could do nothing but watch as the two Thunder Rangers sat facing each other, knees touching and their heads bowed. It took a few minutes before he began to notice a change in the storm. At first it was minimal, just a lessening of the ferocity of the wind. Then he noticed the black clouds turning to a gray color and the lightning ease up. He noticed that the two Thunders were crackling with power as the storm gradually died until only the magic was left in the air along with a few gray clouds. He breathed a sigh of relief as first Hunter and then Blake opened their eyes, the energy crackling around them fading as their task was done.

"Good job guys, but now how do we get the stone?" Cam asked.

Before either of his companions could answer the air around them shimmered and crackled with magic and the thunder stone materialized in front of Cam. He put his hands out just in time to catch it. He looked at the two Thunders and opened his mouth to say something when all three were transported back to the dragon's lair.

**_I must say I am very impressed. It is important to know when to accept help. You could not have gotten the stone by yourself. _**The dragon said with approval. **_I am equally impressed with you, Crimson Thunder. Your connection with the powers of Thunder is perhaps stronger than you realize. _**Hunter blushed slightly under the dragon's praise. **_Now you must finish what you have started._**

Cam nodded and took the satchel over to the platform. He took the stones out and placed them on a flat section where he could see them all. He decided to start from the left and work his way right. He glanced over the first riddle, frowning in thought as he read it.

_Die without me, _

_Never thank me. _

_Walk right through me, _

_Sometimes feel me. _

_Sometimes hear me yet _

_Never speaking and _

_Never seen._

It didn't take much to figure it out. There was only one element that was needed to survive and yet never seen and often taken for granted. He shoved the air stone in hole and moved on to the second riddle, ignoring the feeling of the Thunders watching.

Three lives have I.  
Gentle enough to soothe the skin,  
Light enough to caress the sky,  
Hard enough to crack rocks.

_Three lives. _Thinking in terms of elements Cam deduced it meant three different forms. That meant either Earth or Water. _Gentle enough to soothe the skin. _That could mean rain, but it could also mean mud as many people liked to take mud baths. _Light enough to caress the sky. _Dirt could be blown in the wind, but he was beginning to suspect it wasn't Earth. _Hard enough to crack rocks. _That solved it then, Earth couldn't be it.

"It's water." He announced, slipping the water stone into the hole. He quickly moved on to the third riddle and briefly wondered why the dragon bothered. The riddles weren't difficult in any way shape or form and he was bad at riddles.

_Born motherless and fatherless,_

_Into this world without a sin._

_Made a loud roar as I entered_

And never spoke again 

He sighed, a little bored with the whole thing, and shoved the thunder stone into the hole. That left the last hole empty which he quickly filled with the earth stone. He expected something to happen and when there was nothing he looked up at the dragon. She looked back at him, but said nothing. Obviously there was more he still needed to figure out. He looked back at the stones and then over his shoulder at the Thunders, silently asking their opinions.

"Maybe we have to activate the stones." Blake suggested.

"You watched Fifth Element too much bro." Hunter teased.

"Bruce is the man."

Cam rolled his eyes, but thought it was a good suggestion. He went to the air stone and blew on it. Instantly the stone began to glow a soft red, but his attention was drawn away as the sound of shifting rock met his ears. He turned to the side and saw a slab of rock had slid away to reveal another riddle engraved in the wall.

Absence of me is like absence of life.  
I come from desire and your wishes and strife.

"More riddles?" Hunter asked.

"No, one riddle." Cam replied after reading the two lines a second time. "I think each stone will reveal another part of the riddle when activated."

Cam scooped up a handful of dirt and poured it on the earth stone. It began glowing a soft, soothing yellow and as before a slab of stone slid away to reveal another part of the riddle. Cam pulled off his shirt, still damp from his swim, and squeezed it onto the water stone. The reaction was the same as the other two. It was there he stopped and glanced over his shoulder at the two Thunder Ninjas.

"One of you care to do the honors of activating the last one?"

Hunter smirked and flexed his hands. "My pleasure."

Hunter placed his hand on the final stone and concentrated inwardly. A moment later energy crackled from his hand into the stone and it began glowing like the rest. The last of the riddle was revealed and all three read the full thing.

Absence of me is like absence of life.  
I come from desire and your wishes and strife.  
I'm a vision of a time when good will prevail.  
I'll help you where courage might falter or fail.  
I am your dream, anticipation, ambition;  
I have set many an optimist on a mission.  
I am frequently there for all those in need.  
Without me your life would seem quite bleak indeed.

"That's not another element." Blake mused.

Hunter shrugged. "I'm not good at these things."

"Me neither." Cam said.

He read it a second and then a third time. He couldn't think of anything. _Why did it have to be a riddle? _Cam groaned mentally. Everything he would have guessed for an answer was already mentioned in the riddle. _A synonym maybe?_ _Could be happiness, but that doesn't fit with the courage part._ He was getting increasingly more frustrated as he struggled for an answer. He knew that Madtropolis was probably terrorizing Blue Bay Harbor and that their new allies, Psycho Yellow and Psycho Navy, were probably still getting thrashed by their ex-teammates. If they didn't get the amulet quickly something bad was going to happen, like the three Winds going powerless against the monster.

"Hope!" Blake exclaimed. "The answer's hope."

Cam glanced at the Navy Thunder Ranger in surprise and then back at the riddle. It suddenly made sense. It fit the situation perfectly and went along with Dustin's conversation with his animal spirit. _Hope. I should have known._

"The answer is hope." Cam told the dragon.

For one silent, frightening moment Cam thought Blake had gotten the answer wrong. He half expected the dragon to fry them or eat them. Then she gave a toothy dragon smile and nodded, amber eyes glowing. Her tail swept around the room and over to where Cam stood and she allowed him to pulled the necklace off her tail. Cam put the necklace around his neck and instantly felt the power it held within.

_**Congratulations Cameron Watanabe. Your mother would be proud.**_

"Thank you." Cam said.

_**Go now, your world needs you.**_

Cam nodded and bid farewell before he and the two Thunders raced out of the room and back the way they had come. All three of them hoped that they weren't too late.

ZzZzZ

Yellow struggled to hold off his three ex-teammates as Navy pulled himself together. Yellow had come back to consciousness and managed to break Navy free, but he was injured and not properly conscious and the other Psychos were viscously determined to finish them off. A kick to Yellow's injured leg dropped him to the ground with a scream of pain. Navy shot to his feet to help his friend, but Blue caught him with a kick to his sternum that sent him crashing into the shield.

Outside the shield the sheer number of dedians was beginning to overwhelm Kale. There were over thirty milling around him, punching and kicking from every direction. He struggled to fend them off, but there were too many of them. All too quickly he found his arms pinned behind his back and he was being pummeled.

Suddenly a green blur streaked amongst the dedains, taking them out at an alarming rate. Deder himself fell victim to an attack and without being able to fight the source of the attack he transported away, taking his dedians with him. The green blur didn't stop there. Kale watched as the green blur streaked through the shield, shattering it with a strange popping sound. The three evil Psychos looked up in surprise, but had no chance to defend themselves. The green blur attacked them viscously causing them to spark like fireworks before they were transported to safety. Kale watched as the green blur left without stopping before turning his attention to his injured friends.

"You kids are going to be the death of me."

ZzZzZ

Madtropolis was happily terrorizing downtown Blue Bay Harbor as he had been for quite some time. As far as he was concerned he'd continue doing it until Lothor told him to stop. The humans were pathetically susceptible to his tricks and he was having a lot of fun manipulating them like that. He had groups fighting each other and other cowering in fear of monsters that weren't there. It was a great feeling to create so much chaos.

Suddenly Madtropolis found himself under attack and he couldn't find the source. It felt like he was being hit from every direction. He tried to catch his attacker, but the green blur was moving too quickly. He tried to get away, but the attacker was relentless and all too quick he found himself on his back sparking wildly. Furious at the unexpected attack he got to his feet and found himself facing a green ranger.

"Another one? I didn't know there's a green one." Madtropolis exclaimed in frustration.

Cam stood watching Madtropolis fume. He was amazed by the feeling of the power coursing through his whole body. He had wondered what it must have been like to be a ranger for several months, but he had to admit this was more than he'd expected. More than just physical, he felt an internal change as well. His need to protect was much, much stronger than it had been and he felt an irresistible urge to get rid of the monster before it hurt anyone else.

"If you're done whining I'd like to get one with this." Cam said with annoyance.

The monster growled. "Bring it."

Cam attacked then and Madtropolis didn't stand a chance. Before long he was finished off and Lothor made him grow. The Zord battle was equally quick and Madtropolis was completely destroyed. Cam went back to Ninja Ops where he received a warm welcome. His new teammates congratulated him, but it was to his father that he looked for approval.

"I could not be more proud of you. Your mother would be proud."

Cam smiled and felt his heart swell a little bit. "Thanks dad."

"Oh yeah, look out Lothor there's a new ranger in town." Dustin exclaimed.

And hope was rekindled where there had been none. They knew the war was far from over, but for the moment things were going their way.


	20. Monsters On the Loose

"That's all we needed, another blasted Power Ranger to deal with." Lothor snarled. "How could you let this happen?"

Zurgane and Kalix stood before him, but only Zurgane looked remotely disturbed by Lothor's anger. Kalix smirked

"Madtropolis was your monster my lord." Kalix said.

Lothor shot his General a glare. "That sounded like you were blaming me!"

"No offense my Lord, but your attempts to defeat the rangers have not been any better than my own." Kalix said, completely unafraid

"Normally I would vaporize you for that, but unfortunately you're right." Lothor grumbled. "It appears it will take more than monsters or a few super charged Psycho Rangers to defeat them."

"Then might I give you a suggestion?" Kalix asked.

"Your plans have yielded no better results." Zurgane snarled.

"He's right, General Kalix, and I am a results oriented evil genius." Lothor said. "This idea of yours better work."

Kalix inwardly snickered to himself. Lothor scared him about as much as a puppy in a pet store. "I was thinking that if one monster at a time does not work why not send more? There are only so many monsters the rangers could handle at a time. If you send a continuos stream of monsters they will eventually begin to wear down and will start making fatal mistakes. I have five monsters on hand that I would lend to the plan."

"Only five?" Zurgane sneered.

Kalix shot him a glare, and then addressed Lothor once more. "I am but a humble General. It is not within my power to control a large number of monsters."

"It'd be a good plan if there weren't so many rangers and those two turncoat Psychos. I'm not willing to devote half my army to one risky plan." Lothor replied.

"Give me fifteen monsters. I will combine that with my five and a slew of my foot soldiers." Kalix said. "That should be enough."

"That had better be enough or you will not like the consequences."

ZzZzZ

The whole ranger team was running a simulation at Sensei's suggestion. With a new teammate they needed to gain and understanding of what his strengths and weaknesses did for the team. As a result all six rangers were fighting against two powerful monsters. Sensei noted with interest that as they fought the team seemed to split in two with the Winds fighting one monster and the Thunders and Cam fighting the other. It almost seemed like they fought better like that, but the two groups weren't exclusive, every once in a while Dustin would swap with Cam or Hunter with Shane. It made him proud to watch their teamwork evolve and he was especially proud of how quickly Cam was adjusting to being a ranger. Both monsters were quickly defeated and the simulation ended.

"Very good rangers, your teamwork is admirable." Sensei said.

"Thank you Sensei." The rangers replied respectfully in unison.

Before anyone could say anything else the pager Kale had given Cam beeped. Cam picked up from its spot beside the main computer and pushed a few buttons. There was a brief message from Kale to come to the forest where his ship had been. Hunter grumbled something about not being at Kale's beck and call, but the group streaked away in unison. They arrived at the spot quickly enough and then found themselves transported into a well lit cavern where Kale's ship was being hidden. Kale was waiting for them while off to the side Zadan and Niko were sparring.

"Welcome Rangers, I'm glad you came." Kale said warmly. "I have some things I'd –we'd like to share with you." He glanced over his shoulder at the fiercely sparring Psychos and whistled. "Hey boys, they're here."

The two Psychos stopped instantaneously, the match instantly forgotten. Zadan patted Niko on the back as they approached the group, ignoring Hunter's distrustful glare. Kale smiled at his friends and then looked back at the rangers.

"Zadan has something he'd like to give to you." Kale announced.

Zadan shifted nervously as all eyes fell on him. "Actually, it's just to two of you."

With a flash of yellow light Zadan morphed. He noticed with vague interest that Hunter tensed as if preparing for an attack. He hoped that after this the Crimson Ranger would trust him a little more. With that thought in mind he called a weapon out of subspace. It wasn't his scythe though; it was something else completely different.

At first glance it just looked like a two-foot long staff. There were gold bands around the ends as well as in the middle. The rest of it looked like polished wood with carvings of a dragon on each side. It took a second glance to realize that there was a split between the gold bands in the middle. It was a beautifully crafted weapon.

"This is the Dragon Dual-saber. Kalix took it from the Alpha Dragon Rangers of Duox Seven." Yellow explained. "It still has some of the dragon power in it, but Kalix was having even more power infused with it."

"Wow, it's beautiful." Tori said.

Yellow looked down at the weapon for a moment before holding it out toward Dustin. The Yellow Wind Ninja looked at it with surprise, having not expected to receive the weapon. Things like that usually went to the Red Ranger. He reached out and took the Dual-sabers from Psycho Yellow and could immediately feel the power within. More than that he was suddenly assaulted with images and information that completely overloaded his mind and he blacked out. It was only for a moment and when he came back to he was a little surprised to find himself on the ground with Tori and Shane beside him while Blake and Cam were holding Hunter back from attacking Yellow. Kale and Niko both stood ready to defend the fallen Psycho Ranger.

"Oh my head." Dustin groaned, catching everyone's attention.

"Are you okay?" Hunter asked, immediately at his side.

Dustin nodded, holding a hand to his head. "Yeah, I just got overwhelmed is all. That thing still has the previous owner's memories attached to it."

"I'm sorry. If I had known it would do such a thing---."

Dustin cut off Yellow's apology. "It's okay dude, you couldn't have known. It's used to bonding with people better mentally prepared."

"It bonded with you?"

"Yup."

As if to prove his point Dustin took hold of the rod on either side of the middle gold bands and pulled. The true beauty of the Dual-sabers was revealed. The weapon was actually two foot long sabers concealed within the handles. The blades were brilliant silver with gold inlayed in an intricate design of flames. The sabers seemed to be giving off a slight glow of power as Dustin held them where his companions could look at them.

"That's amazing." Cam said.

"What's amazing is that Kalix tried everything he could to pull those sabers apart, but nothing worked." Niko said with awe.

"It has a shield that it projects." Dustin explained. "No one except the one it chooses can pull it apart."

Everyone made sounds of awe and admiration. Dustin grinned and put the weapon back together again, effectively hiding the blades. He then watched their faces closely as the weapon disappeared. The faces of amazement and wonder made him grin wider.

"It has its own subspace storage. It'll come to me when I need it." Dustin explained.

The looks of wow and admiration didn't fade as all eyes went to Yellow in eager anticipation of what else he had. The Yellow Psycho Ranger hesitated just a moment before he summoned the next weapon out of subspace. It didn't look like much of a weapon. It was in fact a gauntlet of some sort shaped like a tiger's head. It was white, not as if it had been purposefully made that way but as if it simply lacked color. The eyes held the only color in a deep glowing green. It looked incredibly realistic despite the lack of color to it.

Yellow looked around the group before focussing on Hunter. "It seems only right that a tiger heart should have the Tiger Gauntlet of the Tiger Sentinel of Hammin."

Hunter looked at Psycho Yellow in complete shock. After how he had treated the Psychos he didn't expect to get any kind of gift. But Yellow was standing in front of him offering the Tiger Gauntlet to him. It was hard to admit he was wrong, even to himself, but he was starting to think he was being too hard on the Psychos. With a moment's hesitation he accepted the offered gauntlet and was surprised by how light it was. He looked at it intently, feeling some kind of dormant power in it. He hesitated another moment before morphing so that he could try it out.

"For future reference you don't have to morph to use it, but seeing as how you guys want your identities a secret it might not be a good idea to use it unmorphed." Yellow said, babbling slightly. He was nervous the weapon might knock Hunter out like the other one did Dustin and then the Crimson Ranger would hate him even more.

Hunter nodded and slipped the gauntlet onto his right fist. The reaction from the gauntlet was immediate. There was a flash of bright light and when it faded the gauntlet had taken on Hunter's colors. The majority of it was a beautiful brilliant crimson color with the stripes being the typical black. He felt intense power radiating from the gauntlet and was surprised that he suddenly knew the knowledge of how to use it as well as all its capabilities. He was a bit blown away. The gauntlet was capable of quite a lot and more than that it was sentient. They couldn't communicate telepathically, but the gauntlet could take note of a situation and give suggestions on a course of action. It could read his thoughts on what he wanted it to do and it could feed off his emotions as well. Hunter was sure that this gauntlet was going to be a lot of help in the future.

ZzZzZ

"The monsters are assembled as ordered Master Kalix." Deder droned. "How do you wish to proceed?"

"Send the triplets first, they should make for a good opening for what should be an eventful day." Kalix said with anticipation. "At the very least Lothor will be down fifteen monsters and the rangers will be exhausted."

"Yes Master." Deder said. "I also wish to inform you that Aranos has arrived."

"Excellent, this should prove to be a productive day indeed."

ZzZzZ

Blue Bay Harbor erupted into chaos as three monsters appeared in three separate locations. All three looked like they were ripped right out of the Middle Ages in their knight armor and assortment of wicked looking weapons. Though they looked similar each was different in attitude, tactics, and weaponry.

Alathos was the tallest in silver armor trimmed with blue and red around key points. He held a shield in one hand and a broad sword in the other. At his belt were a dagger on one side and a crossbow on the other. He was maliciously tossing unfortunate citizens around as he waited for the rangers to show up.

Mesaus was the shortest in gold armor trimmed with purple and white. He was armed with a shield as well as a mace with wickedly curved spikes. His belt held three throwing knives and a whip that he could use with deadly accuracy. Unlike his taller brother he was standing completely still, confident that his mere presence would be enough to attract the rangers' attention.

The last of the triplets was Nyus in bronze armor trimmed with black and green. He was brandishing two sickles with deadly consequences as he used them on bystanders not quick enough to get away from him. His shield was attached to his left forearm since both of his hands were in use. On his belt he had a small axe and a chakram. He was chasing his victims around, not satisfied with simply standing and waiting or just throwing them around like his brothers. He wanted blood shed.

The people of Blue Bay Harbor cried out for help.

ZzZzZ

The rangers were admiring the two new weapons when Sensei contacted them. "Rangers, three monsters are attacking Blue Bay Harbor. You must split up and deal with them quickly. Lives are being lost."

"We'll come too." Kale said. "The three of us will handle one monster. You guys can split into two groups and handle the other two."

"Sounds like a plan." Shane agreed. He looked at his teammates. "Ready guys?"

"Ready!"

"Ninja Storm, Ranger form! HA!"

"Thunder Storm, Ranger form! HA!"

"Samurai Storm, Ranger form! HA!"

Kale and the two Psycho rangers shared a wistful look, all three longing for the days when they had ranger teams to morph with. They too morphed and then Kale transported them to the surface. From there the three teams split up to deal with the monsters, all wishing each other good luck. They were all going to need it.

ZzZzZ

Dustin leapt high in the air and caught a young boy that had been ruthlessly thrown by Alathos. He easily landed on his feet and put the boy back on the ground. He then joined Shane and Tori as they all took a fighting stance toward the knight-like being. In unison they pulled their swords and waited patiently for the monster to make the first move.

"Ah, Power Rangers, it has been a while since I had the pleasure of destroying rangers." Alathos said his voice deep and booming. "You could save yourselves a lot of pain by surrendering now."

"We get that a lot." Shane replied. "You monsters should get some new threats you're all getting a little repetitive."

"Yeah, you're like broken records." Dustin agreed.

"Well, you have nothing to worry about. I will be the last 'monster' you ever face." Alathos replied.

Alathos attacked with startling speed for a monster his size and sent Tori flying with a shield-bash to the face. Shane tried to block the monster's sword, but Alathos's sword was bigger and swung with great force and though he blocked the swing he was sent flying by the force of it. Dustin slashed Alathos from behind, but the monster was unaffected and spun around, shield extended, and caught Dustin in the chest. Alathos was spinning fast enough that instead of flinging Dustin away his shield picked the Yellow Ranger up and carried Dustin around in a circle before Alathos flung him into the ground. Dustin dove into the ground and sprung up behind Alathos again, this time kicking him forcefully in the back. Alathos stumbled forward and spun around to face Dustin as he, Shane, and Tori regrouped.

ZzZzZ

Hunter grunted as Mesaus caught him under the chin with the mace causing him to catch a little air before he landed hard on the ground. Blake helped his brother up while Cam tangled with the knight monster. The two Thunders watched as the monster bashed Cam's knees with the shield and the Samurai went down with a cry of agony. That spurred them into action as they pulled their staffs and rushed the monster at the same time. Blake swung high while Hunter swung low. Mesaus used his shield to block Blake and his mace to bash Hunter's staff away. That left him open for twin kicks to his chest. Blake and Hunter followed with a relentless attack that Mesaus easily kept up with, using shield and mace to block and counterattack. By the time Cam got back up and into the action Blake was laying dazed on the ground from a blow to the head and Mesaus had Hunter pinned to the ground with one foot and was beating him relentlessly with the mace.

"Enough!" Cam barked, catching the monster's attention.

Mesaus laughed mockingly. "You want some more?"

"Bring it."

The knight monster launched himself at Cam, his mace pulled back to swing. Cam swung his saber at the monster's neck, but Mesaus ducked under it. The knight spun around quicker than Cam could and swung his mace at the back of Cam's head. The impact would have been enough to knock him unconscious if Blake hadn't blocked it with his thunder shield. Blake then clamped his weapon around the monster's chest and sent a powerful charge through it. Mesaus reached down and pried the clamp-like weapon open and shoved Blake away from him, but that just left the space open for Cam to fill in. Mesaus growled in annoyance as he parried Cam's attacks and managed to sneak in a kick that knocked the breath out of the Samurai. As Cam doubled over Mesaus raised his mace to deliver a punishing blow, but a staff swung out of nowhere and caught him in the face.

"Back off." Hunter snarled, placing himself between his teammates and Mesaus.

"Don't make me laugh." Mesaus sneered.

"I don't hear anyone telling jokes."

"You are the joke ranger and one of these days you're going to realize that."

Hunter's temper flared and he launched himself at Mesaus. The knight monster laughed out loud, caught Hunter on his shield, and swung him around through a concrete wall. Hunter groaned and lay on the ground as Mesaus approached, ready to deliver a fatal blow.

ZzZzZ

"You!" Kale exclaimed, surprised and horrified by what he found.

Nyus laughed maniacally as he saw whom he was facing. "Black Knight Ranger, I had always hoped to see you again. Tell me, how is the Green Knight Ranger faring these days?"

"He's no concern of yours." Kale snarled.

"Judging by the gems on your chest he's dead and good riddance I say. I just wish it could have been me that sent that pathetic excuse for a warrior to his final resting place." Nyus continued. "You'll do just the same though."

"You couldn't defeat us then and you can't defeat me now."

Nyus laughed again. "If I remember correctly, the little Green Ranger had to save you last time. I would have had your head on a platter if it hadn't been for him. He's not here to save you this time."

_Yes I am. _Valin said in Kale's mind. _I'm right here with you._

_We all are Kale. You don't have to be afraid of him. _Nick added.

Kale felt reassured by their words. For all his bravado Nyus scared him stupid. When the triplets had attacked his planet Nyus had first methodically separated him from Valin after he had separated them from the rest of the team and then captured him and beat and tortured him so bad that the healing chamber took weeks to heal him. He wasn't even conscious when the rest of his team sent the Knights of Destruction packing. He just knew that the thought of facing Nyus again was terrifying, even with the rest of his teammates' powers backing him.

"I can smell your fear ranger." Nyus taunted. "You can run away if you wish. I wouldn't blame you."

"You talk too much." Psycho Navy said before launching himself at the knight monster.

Nyus laughed and slashed Navy with each sickle before side stepping the flying Psycho. Despite the slashes Navy curled into a ball and rolled to his feet as he hit the ground. He turned to face Nyus and pulled his quarterstaff. Psycho Yellow took that as his cue and pulled his scythe too.

Kale hesitated a moment, taking in the situation, before he pulled his lance. He knew that a weapon that put a little distance between him and the monster's sickles would be the best bet. He knew what Nyus was capable of with his sickles, knew that all too well for his own comfort. It was time he made Nyus pay for what he did, pay for the scars he carried because of him, and pay for the nightmares that kept him awake.

"Don't be shy Knight Ranger." Nyus taunted. "Let's play, shall we?"

Kale didn't reply, simply charged into the battle. Nyus blocked Kale's lance with the blunt side of one sickle and then lunged in close for a swipe with the other. Kale put one arm up and stopped the blow with sparks from his forearm. Nyus expected this and took advantage of Kale's unprotected chest with a kick that knocked the Knight Ranger to the ground. Psycho Yellow chose that moment to attack from behind, but Nyus was ready and swung around. He knocked Yellow's scythe to one side and caught the flying Psycho on the point of one sickle and then flung him into a charging Psycho Navy. The two Psychos went down in a pile of tangled limbs and Nyus turned his attention back to the Knight Ranger only to receive a crossbow bolt into his face. He screamed and stumbled back, tearing the bolt out of his armored face.

"You'll pay for that." The knight monster snarled, getting serious for the first time. "I'll have you begging for you mother before I'm done with you!"

Kale got to his feet, putting his crossbow back into subspace and pulling his mace instead. "You can try."

"Let the suffering begin."

ZzZzZ

Mesaus stood over Hunter, ready to deliver a fatal blow. Outside Cam and Blake were struggling to pull themselves together, but they would never reach Hunter in time. In the end they didn't need to. Sensing Hunter's need the Tiger Gauntlet materialized on the Crimson Ranger's right fist and Hunter raised his arm to block the mace. He barely felt the impact as power surged through him from the gauntlet and reinvigorated him. With a growl he pushed himself up enough to swing a leg around to trip the knight monster. That gave him enough time to get fully to his feet and get into another fighting stance.

"Let's take this outside." Hunter growled.

He reached down with the gauntlet and the tiger's mouth opened wide, snarling slightly, and clamped shut around the monster's neck. He then lifted Mesaus off the ground and carried him out of the hole and back outside. The gauntlet's eyes flash bright green and then sent a charge of energy into the suddenly helpless monster. Mesaus howled with rage and pain as Hunter tossed him away. Hunter looked down at the gauntlet and was slightly surprised to see it looking back at him. He was going to have to get used to that.

"So you have a new weapon. It won't do you any good." Mesaus sneered as he pulled himself to his feet.

Hunter didn't reply. He was way past being too angry to banter with the monster. The two charged each other with the intent of finishing each other off. Mesaus swung his mace with devastating power and was shocked to the core as Hunter caught it in the jaws of the Tiger Gauntlet. They were both shocked as the tiger gave a slightly muffled growl and chomped down hard on the metal and bit it cleanly in two. The head of the mace fell to the ground with a thump and Mesaus was left holding nothing but a handle and rod. Hunter was secretly pleased, but didn't pause in his attack. The gauntlet increased the damage of his punches by threefold and with one solid punch he put a muzzle shaped dent in the monster's shield.

"You impudent child! You'll pay for that!" Mesaus roared.

Again Hunter didn't reply, simply let his actions speak for him. Mesaus was hard pressed to keep up with furious and newly energized Crimson Ranger. When Blake and Cam joined him it all went down hill very quickly. The Green Ranger went into Super Samurai Mode while the two Thunder Rangers powered up their staffs. Mesaus ducked and dodged as many of the attacks as he could, but a well placed swipe from the Samurai's saber sent him stumbling right into twin slashes from the Thunders' staffs. As he went down sparking the two Thunder Rangers called on their main weapons and combined them to form the Thunder Blaster.

"FIRE!"

Mesaus put up his hands in a pathetic attempt to defend himself and the energy ripped right through him. He roared once in defiance before he exploded completely. However, the rangers had their back to him and therefore missed the gold spark that danced away from the explosion. With their monster defeated they headed off to help the rest of their teammates.

ZzZzZ

Shane grunted from where Alathos held him pinned to the wall with his shield. His struggles were in vain and with wide eyes he looked down to see the monster had Tori firmly under foot. Their only hope was Dustin, who he was sure had been knocked completely unconscious by Alathos's vicious shield to the face routine. Alathos's mocking laughter was ringing in the Red Ranger's ears and he couldn't stand it. He pulled his Hawk Blaster and aimed it at Alathos, but the monster knocked it away with one swipe of his powerful broad sword.

"Now do you see how futile your fight is rangers? Surrendering would have saved you so much pain." Alathos taunted.

Somewhere in a foggy, bruised part of Dustin's mind he heard the monster's taunts. He struggled to understand it though, his mind was too unfocussed to understand what the monster was saying or any kind of implications it carried. However, when he heard his friends crying out to him in pain and desperation the lion inside him snapped into focus. His friends—no the lion corrected him—his brother and sister were in trouble. Though his body ached and his mind still held some fog Dustin understood only the desperate need to protect his Pride.

Alathos watched with a smirk as the Yellow Wind Ninja got to his feet. He was having a total blast bashing the rangers around. He was highly amused at how pathetic their attempts of defeating him were. Kalix had done well in preparing them for this battle.

"I've studied you thoroughly. I know your fighting and weapon tactics." Alathos boasted. "There's nothing you could do that would surprise me."

"Oh yeah?" Dustin challenged. He knew of something that neither Kalix nor the monsters would know about. "Dragon Dual-sabers!"

Instantly the weapon appeared in his hand and Alathos was not impressed. It looked like nothing more than a quarterstaff, though a little thicker than most. Then Dustin pulled the weapon in two and Alathos felt the power of the weapon pulse out from it. He dropped Shane and stepped away from Tori, preparing himself to fight this new challenge. He didn't stand a chance. Dustin fought with a vicious fierceness that actually stunned Tori and Shane. Alathos's big broad sword couldn't move fast enough to keep up with the smaller, lighter dual sabers. The monster was sparking as Dustin kept up his furious, fast paced attack. Finally as the monster fell onto its back Dustin put the Dual-sabers away and summoned his Lion Hammer. Sensing his plan Shane and Tori joined him with their weapons and they formed the Storm Striker. Alathos got to his feet, but not for long.

"FIRE!"

Alathos roared as the energy struck him and literally tore him apart. He exploded in an impressive display that the rangers completely missed. Their other three teammates showed up to help, but it was too late. They left to help their remaining allies and as they streaked away they missed the silver spark that floated away.

ZzZzZ

Nyus was stomping all over Kale when the Ninja Rangers arrived. The two Psycho Rangers were wrapped in some kind of energy coils and were struggling to help their friend. Seeing their ally in peril they attacked with vigor. Nyus was caught slightly by surprise and was barely able to fend off all the attackers. He was sent tumbling away by a kick to the chest and when he got to his feet he sent an energy blast at the rangers. They were all knocked to the ground while Kale struggled to his feet.

"You can't beat me Knight Ranger. You couldn't then and you can't now." Nyus taunted.

"We'll see about that!" Kale yelled with determination.

"You can try all you want, but you'll never beat me. You're nothing without your team."

Kale charged again with reckless abandon and he grunted with surprise to find himself suddenly impaled on one of Nyus's sickles. Nyus laughed as he maliciously swung Kale into a wall, impaling the Knight Ranger even further. Kale felt the blade moving further and further into his body and felt completely helpless to get away. Fear swelled inside him as a flashback from hundreds of years ago had him trembling.

"I know you miss your teammates, but are you really in that big of a hurry to die?" Nyus taunted.

"He's not the one that's going to be dying!" A freed Psycho Yellow called out. "Psycho Energy Strike!"

"Psycho Shock Wave!"

The two energy attacks struck Nyus with extreme force and he dropped his sickles as he stumbled back, sparking wildly. Kale pulled the sickle out of himself and scrambled to his feet. He mentally connected with each gem on his chest and called upon their power, channeling it up into the gem on his forehead. The black gem began to glow softly at first and then grew brighter. As it got brighter it began to pulse and practically vibrate with the energy it was conducting.

"Your time's up Nyus." Kale boomed.

"This won't be the last of me you see Knight Ranger. That's a promise." Nyus replied.

"Energy Pulse!"

Everyone had to cover their eyes as the bright energy streaked through the air and impacted with Nyus. He didn't even get the luxury of roaring defiance. The energy blew him to pieces before he could utter a sound. The light was so bright that no one saw the bronze spark float away to join the other two. The rangers celebrated as the last of the knight monsters was destroyed.

ZzZzZ

Kalix smirked as he watched the rangers celebrate prematurely. They had no idea that they were nowhere close to victory. His plan was just beginning. He glanced over his shoulder at Deder.

"Send one of Lothor's monsters. Have it lead them to someplace secluded and send the rest of the monsters there to set up an ambush." Kalix ordered.

"Yes Master Kalix." Deder droned and went to do as he was told.

Kalix smirked and looked back at the screen as Kale left to heal himself. "This is going to be entertaining."

"Master Kalix, may we join in the fun?" Psycho Red asked.

"Not yet." Kalix replied. "Let the monsters distract and weaken them. You'll get to have your fun."

ZzZzZ

The rangers didn't even get a chance to demorph before Sensei told them of another monster. The two Psychos left to make sure Kale was going to be okay. No one thought that one monster would be too much for the rangers to handle on their own. Thrash didn't seem like much either, just a big walking talking bull. No words were exchanged as the rangers and monster charged each other. Thrash sent Dustin flying with a flick of his horns, but Shane and Tori landed vicious kicks that Hunter and Blake followed with swipes of their staffs. Cam stood back out of the fight, watching carefully. Something didn't feel right to him.

He could feel something dancing at the edge of his senses. Danger was in the air. He could practically feel it. The only thing stronger was the chill cold of evil. Thrash was just one monster, there was no way a bumbling idiot like that was setting off his instincts. There was some hidden danger that he couldn't see.

"Guys, I think--."

Cam was cut off as a boomerang connected with the back of his head. The force of the blow wasn't enough to knock him out, but he fell to the ground stunned. Hunter and Blake cut away from the fight with Thrash to help Cam. Blake helped Cam to his feet, but Hunter stood frozen, looking at something behind them. Cam and Blake shared a look before they turned to see what had spooked their teammate. Monsters, dedians, and lizarians were swarming out of the forest and completely surrounding the clearing they were in.

"Guys. I think we're in a lot of trouble." Cam finished what he had been saying.

Thrash sent the three Winds flying and as they stumbled to their feet they regrouped with the rest of the team. All six rangers moved to form a circle, back to back, and took fighting stances. There were twelve monsters including Thrash, four droigs, twenty dedians, and twenty lizarians. The rangers were horrified. They had faced scores of foot soldiers at one time, but so many monsters at once was going to be a challenge unlike anything they had faced before.

"This is where you meet your finial doom rangers!" One of the monsters, a snake-like creature, called out.

"We've heard that before!" Shane called back bravely.

"This will be the last time!" A different monster yelled.

And with that all hell broke loose. The enemy charged from every side and though the rangers tried to stick together they were all quickly separated from one another. The lizarians were easy enough to throw around and get out of the way, but the dedians were more of a challenge, fighting with a precision unity that the rangers had yet to encounter. The greatest challenges were of course the monsters and the big brutish droigs.

Hunter found himself facing two monsters, a handful of dedians and lizarians, and one of the massive droigs. He didn't really get a chance to look at the things, but he got the impression of big half rhino/half elephant beasts with armor. They had no need for weapons; they were powerful and destructive warriors with any help. Hunter found himself dodging charge after charge from the enraged beast and at the same time keep track of two pretty powerful monsters. With his thunder staff he made short work of the lightweight foot soldiers. The droig lowered its head and charged again, but as Hunter dodged to the side the big droig swung its fist around and caught the Crimson Ranger in the chest. The force of the blow knocked the wind out of Hunter and sent him tumbling.

Across the clearing Dustin was also dealing with two monsters and a droig. He was fighting circles around the big beast while tangling with the monsters at the same time. The droig quickly got fed up and made a sound between a roar and a trumpet and snatched Dustin off his feet with its powerful trunk. Dustin grunted as the droig shook him like a rag doll and he did the only thing he could think of doing. He swung his sword with as much force as he could and sliced the trunk clean off, gagging slightly as purple blood sprayed everywhere. As his feet hit the ground one of the monsters blasted him right onto his back and the droig stepped down hard on his chest.

Shane and Tori managed to stick together but that wasn't giving them any more luck than the others. Because they were together they got four monsters, a droig, and more foot soldiers than they could keep track off. The droig sent Tori flying into a tree where she was knocked unconscious leaving Shane to fight alone. He was moving fluidly dodging, blocking, and striking whenever possible, but the odds against him were too great.

Blake didn't have to worry about a droig, but he did have two powerful monsters and a slew more foot soldiers than anyone else. He was using his staff with all the skill he possessed and he was taking out the foot soldiers fairly quickly. Then he turned his attention on the monsters, who attacked in perfect unison. He was grateful he had been training as a ninja most of his life or he might not have stood any chance at all against the monsters, ranger or not.

And in the middle of it all Cam was facing two monsters, a droig, foot soldiers, and Deder himself decided to make an appearance. The Samurai more than had his hands full, because with Deder in the vicinity the dedians fought with increased precision. It was difficult to keep up with all his opponents and Deder just made things worse.

Hunter could feel how desperate the situation was, not just from his brother but from all his teammates. They were all in trouble and he had it within his power to even the playing field. As he ducked the droig's fist he called the Tiger Gauntlet. Instantly the weapon appeared on his right fist and roared defiance at his enemies. Then, reading his mind and taking assessment of the situation Gauntlet took the next step without cue. Two three-foot long blades slid out of the mouth. For a moment his opponents stared in surprise, but the droig wasn't fazed for long at it attacked again with merciless intent. Hunter struck out, first cutting off its trunk with a spray of purple blood, and then stabbed right through its thick skin into its heart. The droig slumped to the ground, pinning several lizarians underneath its body. Hunter then turned his full fury on the remaining monsters, destroying both of them with surprising ease.

With his opponents gone he looked around the battlefield and gasped when he saw Dustin in trouble. Protective fury bubbled within him and without a thought he streaked across the battlefield and attacked the droig with ruthless savagery, cutting and slicing the beast so badly that it quickly bled to death. Hunter helped Dustin to his feet and though they said no words they attacked the two monsters in unison. Hunter's Gauntlet made quick work of his monster and he then helped Dustin finish off his.

"I didn't know it had blades." Dustin commented as he observed the bloody Tiger Gauntlet.

"There's more you don't know." Hunter said. "Watch this."

Hunter turned to where Shane was struggling against overwhelming odds and pointed the gauntlet at one of the monsters getting ready to attack the Red Ranger from behind. The blades retracted and the tiger's green eyes flashed and the mouth began to glow crimson. Hunter jerked with surprise as a targeting reticule seemed to appear in his vision and was further surprised as his question about zooming in was followed by just that. He secretly wondered how the gauntlet was doing it, but pushed his curiosity away for later. As he zoomed in on the monsters back he aimed perfectly and let loose with a powerful bolt of crimson energy. The energy tore into the monster, spreading over its body and causing it to pulse. The monster screamed in pain stumbling away from a startled Shane. The whole battlefield seemed to freeze as they watched the monster get blown to pieces.

"Wow dude, what all can that thing do?" Dustin asked, pleasantly surprised.

Hunter smirked under his helmet. "A lot. I'm surprised Kalix could beat anyone with one of these things, let alone ten of them."

"Ten?"

"Ten."

"Wow."

"Yup." Hunter looked around the battlefield. All the monsters and the remaining droigs were back to attacking his teammates. Things were back to looking desperate for the rest of the team. "Go help Shane with that dual-saber thing of yours. I'm going to help Cam."

"What about your brother?" Dustin asked.

Hunter glanced at Blake just in time to see him duck a monster's attack letting it hit the other monster instead. "I think Blake can take care of himself for the moment."

Dustin nodded and streaked off to help Shane. He stopped a few feet from the battle and summoned the dual-saber. The three monsters still attacking Shane stopped instantaneously as if sensing the surge of power from the Yellow Ranger's new weapon. The droig however, was unaffected and continued its malicious attack. Dustin pulled the staff apart to reveal the two saber blades that were already glowing a brilliant yellow color. The monsters shared a brief look before they all charged at the same thing, two of them throwing energy attacks at him. Dustin batted the attacks away with ease and met the first two monsters with slashes to the chest. He ducked under the punch of the third and spun around, slicing it across the back. The third monster fell to the ground sparking like mad, a deep wound left in its back, while the other two were not affected so badly. Dustin lunged forward, driving both the sabers into the monster's back, and then dove away as it exploded with impressive force. The other two monster turned to stare at him with open mouthed shock.

Hunter went right for Deder and the General sensed his approach. Hunter had never seen Deder before, but he could sense that the General was the biggest threat on the battlefield. Deder could sense the same thing, though it had no emotional impact on him, he knew to take out the greatest threat quickly and efficiently. With a flourish he pulled his Sword of Flame and Hunter pulled his Thunder Staff. There was a moment where they both stood still, evaluating each other with cold efficiency.

"Surrender." Deder barked emotionlessly, knowing that the fight could be avoided that way.

"Yeah right." Hunter sneered.

Deder nodded, having expected that response, and charged the Crimson Ranger. They were pretty evenly matched, though Deder was slightly more skilled and experienced than Hunter. They attacked and counterattacked with instinctive ease. It was several minutes before Hunter was finally able to strike Deder. He faked a swipe to the head, but when Deder ducked he caught the armored General full on in the helmet. Deder was knocked unconscious and transported to safety. Hunter immediately turned his attention to helping Cam with the monsters as the Samurai had already finished off the droig.

"I can handle it from here." Cam said. "Go help your brother."

Hunter's head shot up at the mention of his brother needing him and he found that one of the monsters had managed to grab Blake and the other was pounding him. Anger flashed through Hunter and right into the gauntlet. Without thought he lifted the gauntlet, aimed, and let loose with stream of crimson energy. The monster had only enough time to sense the attack and turn before it was completely engulfed in the energy. There was no explosion, no sparks, the monster was simply disintegrated. The other monster looked at Hunter with fear and turned so that Blake was between them.

"Fire at me and you kill the Navy Ranger!" The monster yelled.

Hunter didn't answer. He streaked behind the monster, extended the blades, and shoved them into the monster's back. The monster released Blake and the Navy Ranger rolled out of the way. Hunter joined his brother and they formed the Thunder Blaster. The monster recovered from the stab to the back just in time to see what it was facing.

"Oh crap..."

"FIRE!"

The monster exploded in a bright display the two Thunder Rangers didn't even stop to admire. They both streaked away to help the rest of their teammates.

Dustin had already destroyed one monster and was having a little bit harder of a time with the other one. It had two swords as well and was keeping up with his attacks a lot better. Neither of them was able to hit the other and they were speeding up more and more with every move. Dustin was getting frustrated, his usual easy going manner had gone right out the window the moment they were ambushed, and he was ready to really massacre something.

ZzZzZ

Kalix was watching the battle with fury. He was so mad that Psycho Yellow had stolen those weapons. He had infused a lot of power into both in the hopes of using them one day, but neither weapon would respond to him or any of his techs. Now the rangers were using them and spoiling his perfect ambush. He turned to the Psycho Rangers, practically seething.

"Get down there and do some damage!" The three Psycho Rangers transported away without a word. Kalix turned his fury on the three monsters that stood before him. "Be ready to act if the Knight Ranger shows up. I won't have this be a complete failure."

"Yes Master Kalix."

ZzZzZ

Hunter was just helping Cam with one of his monsters when he was attacked with lightning fast strikes that sent him sparking to the ground. He struck out with an energy blast from his gauntlet and Psycho Crimson was thrown backwards. Both got to their feet and faced off. Crimson eyed the gauntlet with mild curiosity and then smirked at Hunter though his opponent couldn't see it.

"So you have a new toy. I hope you don't expect that to help you against me." Crimson taunted.

Hunter didn't reply. He didn't feel like playing the insulting game with his worst enemy. He simply charged the Psycho in a reckless move. He extended the gauntlet blades and swung at Crimson, but the Psycho was ready and blocked it with his shield. Crimson kicked at Hunter's head, but he ducked and rolled under. He got to his feet and swung the blades as Crimson's back, but the Psycho spun much too quickly and not only blocked the attack but kicked Hunter hard in the chest too. Hunter went flying back and instinctively put up his gauntlet as Psycho Crimson pounced on him, shield swinging at his face. The impact jarred his wrist and he hissed in pain as he pushed the shield away and kicked and Crimson's chest. Crimson caught his foot, swung him up into the air, and then back into the ground with bone jarring force.

"Back off!" Cam barked. Having finished his monsters he moved to help Hunter.

Crimson regarded Cam carefully. "A Green Ranger hmmm? Makes no difference. You can't help this pathetic excuse for a warrior."

"Oh no?"

"He's beyond your help." Crimson sneered.

"You should learn to watch your back." Hunter snarled.

Crimson ducked and Hunter went stumbling forward, blades ready to impale him. Cam didn't even have a chance of dodging. The blades sliced cleanly through his suit and into Cam's shoulder. The Samurai cried out in agony as Hunter stumbled back in horror. Crimson laughed at them both and wrapped his arm around Hunter's neck from behind. The Psycho then grabbed the arm with the gauntlet on it and held it in a vice-like grip so that Hunter was forced to do whatever Crimson did with it and what he did was stab Cam several more times, once in the thigh, and twice in the chest. Cam slumped to the ground without a sound and Hunter made a sound of desperation at the fear that his new weapon had just been used to kill his friend.

"Nice weapon Crimson Ranger. I have to get me one of these." Crimson laughed.

The situation that had seemed to be turning in the Rangers' favor went drastically down hill at the arrival of the Psychos. Tori had barely become conscious when Psycho Blue attacked and Shane was still struggling with the droig when Red attacked him from behind. Dustin was too busy with the last monster to help either of his fellow Wind Ninjas and Blake was streaking over to help his brother. At that moment Blake was really glad Psycho Navy and Psycho Yellow had gone good. They couldn't have handled two more Psychos.

Speaking of the turncoat Psychos, with twin streaks of Navy and Yellow the two Psychos were there to help. Psycho Navy zipped beside Blake and the two moved to stop Crimson, while Yellow went to Dustin's aid. Dustin then sent him to help Tori who had enough of a concussion not to be able to defend herself properly from Psycho Blue.

Shane grunted as the droig knocked him to the ground and stepped down on his chest. That was it. He had been trying to play as fair as he could, but he was starting to realize morals were going to have to go out the window against merciless enemies. He pulled his Hawk Blaster and blasted straight through the beast's knee. The droig stumbled, but didn't fall and as Shane got up he popped it three times in the chest. The droig trumpeted/roared and fell to one knee, but wasn't finished. It lunged forward ready to ram Shane, but he ninja was quicker and dodged the attack, putting two blasts into its skull and finishing it for good. He then turned his attention to Psycho Red.

Suddenly about thirty dedians appeared, but before they could attack Kale zipped in, fully healed, and kept them occupied. He found them much easier to deal with without Deder leading them, but they were still very well coordinated and fought better than any foot soldiers he'd ever faced. Still, he was making pretty quick work of them with his variety of weapons and years of fighting experience.

Dustin raised his sabers and blocked both the monster's swords and kicked it in the chest. The monster stumbled back and was left open for two slashes across the chest. The monster began sparking wildly even as it struggled to defend itself. It was no use, Dustin was fed up and made swift work of the injured monster, watching as it exploded as all monsters did. He then went to help Shane.

Psycho Blue found the tables turned on her so quick her head was nearly spinning. One moment she had been beating Tori into the ground and the next she was defending herself from Psycho Yellow. Things took a turn for the worst then. Psycho Yellow she could handle on her own usually, but he had totally ambushed her and she couldn't recover. She tried to fight him off and get at Tori again, but he wasn't having that. When Yellow sent a bolt of energy through her she decided that the battle was lost and she wasn't going to be lost with it. She transported away leaving Red and Crimson by themselves.

Crimson saw the two Navys coming and held Hunter in front of him like a shield. Psycho Navy wasn't fazed he zipped behind Crimson had struck him in the back with is quarterstaff. Crimson realized he had lost the advantage of using Hunter as a shield and squeezed the Crimson Ranger's neck hard, completely cutting off his air supply. Hunter gasped and struggled, but Crimson was too strong. Crimson didn't even have a chance to see Psycho Yellow coming. By the time he sensed his ex-teammate it was too late. Yellow's scythe dug deep into his back, was pulled out, and then swung into his side. Crimson released Hunter as he collapsed to his hands and knees, blood filling his lungs as he struggled to breathe. Crimson was transported away before Yellow could deal a fatal blow.

Last but not least Psycho Red instantly realized he was in trouble. The whole ranger team, except Cam and Hunter, converged on him along with his two ex-teammates. He kicked Shane away from him and ducked a swipe from Dustin meant to take his head off and backed away from them. He glanced at something behind the rangers and smirked behind his helmet before transporting away.

Instantly everyone went to Cam's side. The Samurai Ranger was frighteningly still, but he had demorphed and they could see he was still breathing. Shane felt his stomach roll at the sight of so much blood pumping out of his friend. Psycho Yellow knelt down and lifted Cam into his arms.

"I'll take him back to the ship and put him in the healing chamber." Yellow announced. He didn't wait for a response before he zipped away.

The rest of the group shared a brief look before following. None of them noticed that they were missing a ranger. Kale was gone.


	21. More Gems, More Rangers

ZzZzZ

Kale could hardly keep himself from hyperventilating. The first time he had been captured by Kalix he had been scared, but still mostly confident he could handle everything. Kalix hadn't seemed like that much of a threat. He hadn't even known about Kalix's psychic abilities. He'd handled it all with a calmness that would have made Rez proud.

This time was different. Way different. Nyus and Mesaus had been the ones to capture him. The other two knight monsters didn't really scare him that bad, but Nyus terrified him like nothing else in the universe could. The Knights of Destruction had been created with the same purpose as the Psycho Rangers. There were only three of them and each had been created to deal with two Knight Rangers. The team had struggled with them, unable to find weaknesses to exploit. Kale had been captured by Nyus and missed the final battle, but he knew that it had only been the addition of three new Knight Rangers that saved them.

"Ah, welcome back Knight Ranger. So glad you could grace me with your presence again."

Kale snapped out of his thoughts and found himself before Kalix's throne. The two knight monsters were holding him under the arms so that his feet weren't even close to touching the ground. He was glad; at least it saved him from having to bow before Kalix.

"You won't get anything out of me snake." Kale snarled.

Kalix smirked. "No? We'll see about that." The raptor addressed the two monsters. "Take him to interrogation room four."

"Yes Master Kalix."

Kale struggled kicking his feet, but it was all in vain. He was in a lot of trouble.

ZzZzZ

Zadan swore for the sixteenth time since realizing Kale was missing. Kale's ship had recorded the whole battle and they were all surprised to see the three knight monsters ambush Kale and then transport away with him. Zadan had come to see Kale as a new teammate and seeing the knight monsters capture him tore at his heart a little. Kale was now someplace he couldn't go and there was no way to help his teammate.

"What are we going to do?" Niko asked. "Cam is hurt so bad I'm not sure the healing chamber can save him and Kale has been captured. If Kalix finds out where more Gems are..."

"Think positive." Zadan said. "We'll figure something out."

ZzZzZ

Kalix regarded the morphed Knight Ranger strapped down to a cliché metal table. Last time he had been unable to get anything out of the ranger with just electrical torture. He didn't have anything powerful enough to give Kale enough of a shock to demorph him. He wasn't sure what it would take to forcefully demorph a ranger with so much morphing energy. In fact, he was pretty sure that there was no way to force the Knight Ranger to demorph.

"You have one chance to demorph." Kalix said, an idea forming in his mind.

"Not a chance." Kale sneered. "There's nothing you can do to me to make me demorph."

"To you - maybe not." Kalix agreed. He turned to Deder who stood silently at the door as a guard. "Bring me Harper."

Kale stiffened, but tried to relax before Kalix could notice. The raptor noticed, but only smirked. He didn't need a reaction from Kale to know that the Knight Ranger would demorph in order to save another. It was basic ranger instinct, sickening as it was. He'd learned through dealing with them that rangers all had the same basic instincts laced in the power and within themselves. Very few rangers even had the capability of ignoring those instincts let alone turn against them. It made them predictable in how they would react to certain situations.

Several minutes passed before Deder came back, dragging a young man in by the back of a tattered and torn shirt. Kale had seen the man through the shields the last time he was captured, but hadn't got a chance to talk to him. It didn't matter though; he didn't need to know the person for his instincts to kick in. Almost immediately he felt the urge to beat Deder senseless and escape with the young man.

"Ah Harper, it looks like you've recovered well since our last session." Kalix sneered.

"You know me, I bounce back from everything." Harper said.

Kalix smirked. "We'll see about that."

There was some kind of silent cue from Kalix because Deder suddenly punched Harper with devastating force. The young man tried to recover and defend himself, but Deder was quick and powerful. Harper managed to duck one punch, but had just enough time to whimper as he felt the pole in his back before blinding pain surged through him. His muscles seized up and he fell to the floor, dimly hearing a voice shouting.

"Stop it!" Kale yelled.

"Only if you demorph." Kalix replied.

Kale was torn. He knew he became much more vulnerable when demorphed, but at the same time as a ranger he couldn't sit by and watch someone get tortured. There was only one thing he could do. He took a deep breath and then demorphed, trying desperately to ignore the triumphant grin on Kalix's face.

"Bring Dr. Radkee to retrieve his patient." Kalix ordered his general.

"Yes Master Kalix."

With Deder gone the room became deathly silent. Harper was shooting Kale an apologetic look, knowing that a lot of Kale's suffering would be his fault. At the same time Kale gave him the best reassuring look he could. Kalix watched it all with a disgusted grimace.

"You rangers are pathetically disgusting. Don't you have a malicious bone in your body?"

Kale shot him a look full of hate. "I look forward to shoving a sword or two in your heart. Malicious enough for you?"

"That's just wishful thinking." Kalix replied.

Kale didn't get a chance to reply. He watched as a man with dark hair rushed into the room and practically flew to Harper's side.

"Lad, one of these days you're gonna have ta stay out of trouble." Dr. Radkee scolded. "You've a knack for finding it."

"Trouble finds me." Harper replied weakly.

Kalix snarled at them both. "Both of you get out of my sight!"

Radkee pulled Harper to his feet and helped him stumble out of the room. With them gone Kalix turned his attention to Kale, a sickening smile forming on his face. He stepped closer to Kale and placed one of his wickedly sharp claws against the skin just below his armpit on his arm. He knew the tender places on human bodies, the spots that would have the strongest men whimpering. With a little pressure his claw easily broke the skin and dug in just enough to draw blood and then stopped, not moving an inch.

"I know that you know where more Gems of Power are. Tell me now and save yourself a lot of pain." Kalix said.

Kale smirked. "Yeah right."

Kalix returned the smirk with one of his own. He was sure that in an hour's time he could break the Knight Ranger's arrogant attitude. He'd make the ranger spill everything he knew and then kill him.

ZzZzZ

"There's nothing we can do." Shane repeated for the fourth time. "You guys are in more of a position to help Kale than we are."

"We don't know how to use Kale's ship." Niko said.

"The only person that could figure it out is Cam." Blake said.

All eyes went to the healing chamber where the newest ranger was struggling for his life. It didn't look good for Cam at all. Hunter distinctly remembered Kale saying that the more injuries someone had, the less chance the chamber has of healing them. The chamber couldn't save someone's life. Cam had lost a lot of blood on the battlefield and his wounds were very serious. No one could bring themselves to say anything.

"You guys should go back to Ninja Ops. We'll contact you if Cam's situation changes." Niko said.

"We're staying." Hunter said and everyone knew he meant himself and Blake.

Zadan figured there was no use arguing with the Thunder brothers, so he didn't bother. With a good-bye to the Winds he transported them to the surface. Hunter and Blake went to the hanger to make themselves more comfortable while they waited. Niko and Zadan decided to try and figure out how Kale's navigation and flight systems worked, not to mention how the hell to get the whole ship out of the cavern without making a huge hole. Neither thought they could figure it out, but it kept them busy so that they didn't think about the torture Kale was surely undergoing.

ZzZzZ

Kale bit back a scream as a small piece of his flesh was torn away by Kalix's claw. Kalix still wasn't doing anything that Nyus and Jadikai hadn't already done. He was positive that Kalix could torture him all he wanted but no amount of physical torture would get anything out of him. Not that he could tell the raptor what he wanted to know. Kale didn't know where any of the other Gems had been hidden. He was only responsible for his own Gems and nothing more.

"You know more than you're letting on. Tell me what I want to know and this can end." Kalix said calmly.

Kale swallowed hard and fought to keep his voice from shaking. "I already told you I don't know where more Gems are."

"You're still lying to me." Kalix snarled.

"If you think I know where more Gems are then you know more than I do."

Kalix growled with frustration and made a quick, but deep cut across Kale's belly. Kale gasped and bit his lip to keep from making another sound. It wasn't deep enough to get any vital organs, but it was bleeding pretty badly. He cursed his ranger powers for keeping him alive when by all rights he should have bled to death already. All he wanted to do was die and join his teammates.

_Stay strong Kale. The Earth rangers still need you for a little longer._ Rez's smooth voice reassured him.

Kalix watched the Knight Ranger's battle with consciousness and was suddenly hit with an epiphany. The Knight Ranger couldn't tell him what he wanted to know because on a conscious level Kale didn't know anything. The full knowledge of the Protectors must have been mostly on a subconscious level that Kale couldn't fully access, probably just for this reason. Some things had to be kept as secret even from the Protector himself. But no mind was safe from him; though having to play mental games was a lot more tiring and difficult than just physically torturing someone. Kalix sighed and drew away from his captive. With another look at the ranger he turned and left, nodding at Deder on his way out.

"Take the Knight Ranger to the infirmary. Tell Dr. Radkee to sedate him if he wakes up and to have him ready when I call for him." Kalix ordered.

Deder nodded. "Yes Master Kalix."

Kalix then turned and strode down the hall to a conference room where someone was already waiting. The man was kicked back in a chair and didn't even acknowledge Kalix as the raptor entered. Kalix glared at the man, but didn't get a reaction he wanted. As Kalix moved to stand in front of him the man finally took his feet off the table and paid some attention to his boss.

"Aranos, it would do you good to show me some respect." Kalix growled.

The dark-haired man rolled his eyes. "Of course, Master Kalix. I just thought maybe you would get bored with everyone kissing your ass all day."

"Your arrogance is frustrating as usual. Am I going to have to do something drastic about that?" Kalix demanded threateningly.

At that, Aranos finally had the sense to change his attitude. "No Master Kalix, I apologize for my behavior."

"As well you should." Kalix moved to take a seat. "What have you to report?"

"The same old thing really," Aranos said. "Expect the Misfits to continue their guerilla warfare against you. There's still no firm leadership and no real plan of action. They still don't trust me enough to show me where their collective base is."

"That's unfortunate." Kalix said. "Though they haven't posed a real threat yet the Misfits are a pest problem I'd like to be rid of as soon as possible." He fixed Aranos with a meaningful stare. "And you had better start yielding better results. Most of your information about their missions has proved useless. You will soon prove to be useless as well and that will NOT bode well for you."

"Master, to be fair, General Bax was able to capture Phoenix and Stryker because of my information." Aranos said.

"And they promptly escaped, destroying a whole battleship and the base on Miros II." Kalix snarled. "If you don't do better I'll be forced to get rid of you, understand?"

"Yes Master Kalix, I will try to provide more useful information in the future."

"See that you do."

ZzZzZ

"I can't stand this anymore." Radkee growled as he spread a cooling cream on his teammate's burned back.

Harper shot him a look over his shoulder. "There's nothing we can do Kardan. None of us have our powers anymore and we don't have anyplace to go."

"If Niko and Zadan can do it so can we." Radkee replied. "I'll not patch you up again because that snake finds it fun to torture you just because you bleed a different color and don't scar."

"What are you going to do? Take on hundreds of lizarians and dedians with a few scalpels and that really scary spinning blade thing you have?" Harper said.

Kardan smacked the back of Harper's head. "Stop being so negative." He looked around to make sure Terik was still sleeping before he continued. "I've been working on a plan for months."

"Just be careful, yeah? I don't need to lose anymore teammates."

"Just teammate?"

"No more friends either."

Kardan smiled. "I'll be careful. Besides, I don't think Kalix will expect it at all."

ZzZzZ

_He's trying to pry into your mind._ Nick said.

Kale didn't need to be told, he could feel the cold presence in his mind. Kalix was in there, could find all his unguarded memories and information, but the most important things in Kale's mind were protected by walls reinforced by hundreds of years of training.

_You must be ready Kale, he can do a lot of damage here. _Rez warned. _He's not trying to trick you into telling him anything. He's going to try and take it from you._

_I'm ready. _Kale replied.

_No, you're not. Kalix is going to tear your mind apart looking for what he wants. You have to do something drastic or everything you are is going to be lost. _Rez said. _You must put everything that makes you who you are behind a wall that Kalix cannot break. You must use all that I've taught you if you're going to survive this in one piece both psychically and mentally._

_I was never as good at this telepathy, mental stuff as you._

_No, but you're better than Kalix knows. Pull you consciousness back, go where Kalix cannot reach you._

Before Kale could reply he felt Kalix begin to tear at one of his walls. Kalix was more brutal and more powerful than Kale had expected. Within moment the wall crumbled under the raptor's attack and Kalix absorbed what had been in there. Kale caught flashes of cherished memories, things he never wanted to lose. He felt them stolen from him forever and cried out. If he didn't act soon he would lose it all.

_You've lost Knight Ranger, I'll find what I want. _Kalix's voice echoed in his mind.

_You'll never win Kalix. Even if you find what you want there will always be someone to stop you. _Kale replied. _There are things about humans you haven't learned yet, lessons that you'll never understand. Even as you absorb my memories you can't learn from them and you'll never understand why in the end you'll be beaten._

Kalix's laughter was dark and taunting. _Don't make me laugh. Humans are weak and once I have more Gems of Power no one will stand in my way. Especially none of the pathetic rangers of Earth._

Kale whimpered as a wall was crushed and he caught brief flashes of his first time with Nick before it was gone and all he knew was a sense of loss. Another wall fell and he saw the moment he had realized his brother had become a Knight Ranger as well before it was torn away from him. He was losing too much. If he let Kalix continue the way he was he would lose everything important to him. He would be nothing but a shell, something Kalix could turn against the rangers.

_I won't let you win Kalix. Whatever happens you are going to lose._ Kale vowed.

With that Kale pulled his mind back. He tore down his own walls and grabbed everything of importance. Everything he needed or wanted to remember he pulled with him. He could feel Kalix tearing after him, trying to catch him before he could get away, but Kale was swift within his own mind and could hinder Kalix just enough to get away. Kalix roared with frustration as he watched Kale's consciousness retreat behind the gates of his subconscious mind where he couldn't go.

Kalix pulled back slightly, but realized quickly he had made a mistake earlier. The information he needed wasn't in his subconscious mind it was right there in front of him. Looking around more carefully now that he didn't have a conscious mind to fight he could see very clearly three large walls. One was the wall into Kale's subconscious where he had retreated. Another had light issuing from behind it, but as he reached out to touch it he felt the power protecting the wall was much too powerful for him to do anything. Instead he turned his attention to the last wall. It looked strong, but not unbreakable. There was a soft glow from all around it, but he couldn't feel any power protecting it. With a triumphant grin he threw all his strength at the wall and laughed as it crumbled.

ZzZzZ

Kalix was almost skipping as he left the interrogation room. He couldn't believe his good luck. There were ten Gems hidden on Earth. Ten! That would give him an unbeatable number of Psycho Rangers. The Power Rangers of Earth would be hard pressed to match that. What was better was that Lothor had completely bypassed them; missed their presence completely when he attacked the Ice Ninja Academy. That just served to prove how pathetically inept the bumbling space ninja was. He was almost giddy, a feeling he hadn't felt since conquering his first planet. He summoned the Psycho Rangers and the three Knights of Destruction to the command room.

"Go to these coordinates. Use the gloves from the tech room and bring me those Gems!" Kalix ordered.

"Yes Master Kalix."

ZzZzZ

The three Wind Ninjas were meditating when Sensei announced the presence of the Psycho Rangers and the three knight monsters. They looked at the screen and saw them approaching what was left of a ninja academy. Confused, the three rangers looked to their Sensei for an explanation.

"They are at the Ice Ninja Academy. It is too far away for you to ninja streak to and I fear you can not get there in enough time to stop them." Sensei replied.

"Where is the Ice Academy?" Shane asked.

"Missouri." Sensei replied.

"Missouri?" The three students repeated, surprised.

Sensei nodded. "Yes, the reasons for this have never been clear. The Ice Academy is very mysterious and has very little contact with other academies. No one is sure what their academy is guarding."

"Guarding?"

"Yes Shane, all Ninja Academies have something that they are guarding." Sensei replied. "Do not ask what we are guarding, the time is not right."

"Yes Sensei." The three Winds said in unison.

"Sensei, could we use the zords?" Dustin asked.

"They are not all fast enough." Sensei said.

"No, but my Hawk Zord could make it." Shane said. "There's enough space in the belly for everyone else to ride in."

"Go Rangers, you do not have much time."

ZzZzZ

A freshly healed Crimson glanced over his shoulder as he felt eyes watching him. Ever since Alathos busted through the wall into the cave system Crimson had felt like someone was watching him. The caves were cold, dark, and damp and from what he could see so far they were extensive. There was no telling where the Gems were, they could be anywhere.

"What's wrong with you?" Red asked from Crimson's right side.

"Nothing." Crimson snapped, but ruined the effect by glancing over his shoulder again.

Red followed his companion's gaze. Through the enhanced sight in his helmet he could see through the dark perfectly. He couldn't see anything back there, but he trusted Crimson's instincts. He called for the group to halt. The three monsters shared a glance, but stopped, knowing that the Psychos were a little bit higher up on the command chain than they. Red continued to look back the way they had come.

"Nyus and Mesaus, I want you two to retrace our footsteps and make sure we're not being followed." Red ordered. "The rest of us are going to continue on."

"Yes sir." The two mentioned knights said. They turned in unison and headed back the way they had come.

Nyus growled inwardly. He hated being reduced to this. At one time he had been a real terror in the universe, but ever since Kalix defeated Jadikai he had been reduced to a henchman, barely worthy of mention. Now he was being forced to take orders from a human no less. How much worse could his life get?

"Hey, did you see that?" Mesaus asked.

Nyus stopped and glanced to where his brother was pointing. He could see okay in the dark, but not perfectly. There were still a lot of shadows and as he looked he saw one move. He tried to pinpoint the shadow, but it was always just on the edge of his vision. He glanced at Mesaus and found his brother having just as much of a problem trying to find the moving shadow.

"Maybe we should call for Alathos." Mesaus said.

Nyus snorted. "I don't need that big oaf to protect me. Stay here if you're afraid."

Mesaus growled at the insult and followed his younger brother back down the tunnel and then down another tunnel that led to a set of smaller caves. Their armor made a lot of noise as they tried to move stealthily, but the hollow caves created a lot of echo. They wouldn't be sneaking up on anything, but they were sure they could handle whatever they found. As they entered the smallest cave yet they were attacked by a blur of motion. Mesaus stumbled back out of the cave and by the time he got back inside Nyus was pinned to the wall with a strange double-bladed sword to his metallic throat. That was of no immediate consequence, it was, in fact, the sight of an unfamiliar figure holding the weapon that really caught his attention.

"Do you rangers have some magic formula that causes you to multiply?" Mesaus asked.

The ranger was not one he had seen before. The armor's main color was pure white. The helmet looked like the Yellow Ninja Ranger, but the chest reminded him of one of the Thunder Rangers. There was a black belt with several throwing knives slipped inside, but that was the only other major different Mesaus could see between the Ninja Rangers he had already fought and this new one.

"I don't know what you are or who you work for, but you're trespassing on Ice Ninja turf and for that you'll die." The Ranger growled fiercely in a male voice.

"Stronger Rangers than you have tried." Nyus sneered.

The Ranger pulled the weapon back to strike at Nyus's neck, but Mesaus lunged lightning fast and grabbed the Ranger's arm. The Ice Ranger kicked at the monster's chest, but Mesaus caught his leg and lifted him off the ground. The Ranger struggled, but Mesaus was too strong. He threw his captive through the cave wall and then checked on his brother. Nyus pushed him away and went through the hole after the Ice Ranger.

"It is good you ambushed us Ranger. Otherwise you would have been dead without a fight." Nyus sneered. "As it is you'll die slow and painfully now."

"Not before you tell me what you've done to my school." The Ranger snarled. "What have you done with my Sensei and the rest of the students?"

"I don't know." Nyus replied. "But if I did I wouldn't tell you."

The Ranger snarled and made a move to attack Nyus, but the monster kicked him hard in the chest. He flew back through another wall and didn't move. Nyus laughed and followed, picking up the limp form. It was obvious the ranger wasn't as skilled as some of the others he had fought. In all likelihood the ranger was still in training.

"Perhaps Master Kalix will have some use for this ranger." Nyus said.

Mesaus snickered. "He'll be useless against the Rangers; he's hardly skilled enough to be a challenge for them."

Still morphed the Ice Ranger listened to the talk about his fighting abilities with a smirk. Did they think that just anyone could gain access to ranger powers? Of course he was skilled; he just knew he had no chance against two creatures he had never seen before. He could feel their power and knew his best bet was to play opossum, at least for the moment. He stayed still and listened as they joined their comrades again.

"Another Ranger? Master Kalix is going to love this." Blue said. "Maybe he'll drain this ranger and make him a Psycho Ranger."

Psycho Ranger? That didn't sound good. Neither did the idea of having his power drained. He wanted to find out where his whole school went, not become some evil mastermind's henchman.

"Wait." Crimson said, causing the whole group to pause. "I feel something."

"You've been paranoid ever since we got here." Red snapped.

"And we were being tailed by a ranger." Crimson shot back. "But that's not the feeling I've got."

"He's right. It feels...It feels like the Gem is reacting to something." Psycho Blue added.

Red frowned and concentrated a little bit. His eyes widened slightly as he felt it too. There was a tingle, a sensation he hadn't felt before spreading through his body from his chest. His Gem was reacting to something.

"The Gems are close." Blue surmised.

"Spread out and see if we can determine where we get the strongest feeling."

ZzZzZ

"I wonder what the Ice Ninjas specialize in." Dustin mused.

"Ice." Niko supplied helpfully.

Dustin rolled his eyes. "No, I mean, Wind Ninjas specialize in speed and defense. Thunders specialize in strength and offense. What do Ice Ninjas specialize in?"

"Stealth and ambush." Hunter replied.

"Oh." Dustin paused for a moment. "Think any of them escaped Lothor like we did?"

"Anything is possible."

"Think any of them are rangers?"

"Dustin!"

"Sorry."

There was silence again for a long time before Shane's voice chimed over the intercom. "We're almost there. Everyone get ready for a landing."

ZzZzZ

"Here! It gets stronger every time." Crimson called.

Everyone gathered around the little cave he had wandered into and looked at the wall Crimson had his hand on. The three Psychos shared a look. One wall stood between them and showing Kalix they could do something right. That wall didn't stand a chance.

"Psycho Force Rush!"

"Psycho Slash Attack!"

"Psycho Fury Blast!"

The wall blasted apart showering everyone with bits and chunks of rocks. What was revealed was another wall. The inscription on it was old and a little chipped away, but the knights knew the language.

"Only those of the white can open this." Alathos said.

Everyone immediately looked at the white ranger hanging over Nyus's shoulder. Nyus dumped the ranger on the ground and started kicking at him, hoping to wake the only good being with them, but the Ice Ranger didn't stir. Nyus pulled back his foot to kick the ranger as hard as he could, but Alathos stopped him.

"Someone is coming." The big monster said.

Red reached out an easily felt the presence of the Red Ranger. "It's the Rangers. Quickly, hide!" _Let the Rangers open it and then we'll ambush them._

The Psychos and knight monsters hid themselves, Nyus holding the Ice Ranger once more. The Ice Ranger decided that he had finally had enough. He couldn't the bad guys ambush other rangers. His instincts wouldn't let him sit around and let it happen. Carefully he pulled out one of his throwing knives and jabbed it into Nyus's shoulder. The knight jerked with a yelp and the Ice Ranger slid down to his feet, dropping all the way to trip Nyus. Mesaus made a move for the ranger, but the human was quicker and easily rolled away and to his feet pulling two identical bladed weapons. They almost looked like sickles only with shorter and wider blades and shorter handles.

"I don't know what's back there, but you're not getting it!" The Ice Ranger yelled.

Then a thin sheet of ice spread from under his feet across the whole cave and outwards. The Ice Ranger stayed perfectly balanced, while immediately the bad guys started slipping and sliding. He laughed, thoroughly amused by it, and watched as they struggled to gain footing. He grew serious when Psycho Red unleashed an energy blast that instantly melted the ice and the five villains got to their feet.

"That's a nice party trick Ice Ranger, but nothing special."

The Ice Ranger knew the jab was supposed to make him mad, make him lose his cool. As if. That was a lot of what his Sensei had trained right out of him. He wouldn't let them throw him off his game, not when they were on his turf. Of course, the energy bolt to his face made his reaction unimportant. He hit the ground already unconscious and was picked up once more by Nyus. Then the group moved into the shadows to wait for the rangers.

They didn't have to wait long. Within a few minutes the rangers and the two Psycho Rangers entered the cave. Yellow and Navy were holding balls of energy so that the rangers could see. Shane strolled up to the exposed wall, realizing immediately that it wasn't a part of the cave, and looked at the etchings. It wasn't a language he recognized, but when Yellow came over he made a sound of surprise.

"That's Hakkaran, that language hasn't been used in hundreds of years." Yellow explained. "Hakkaran was a language spoke by many races of the known universe for a long time. Many of the first Protectors spoke it and it's still taught in some places."

"What does it say?" Cam asked.

"A lot of it doesn't have a direct translation, but the gist of it is that only those of the white can find the Gems." Yellow replied.

"If they can't open the chamber, neither should we." Hunter said. "They can't get it this way and we have no way of using those Gems safely."

In his hiding spot Red growled at the Thunder's intelligence. _Let's show them our hostage and give them no choice._

The Rangers all tensed and fell into fighting stances as their enemies made their presence known. All of them were shocked into silence by the sight of the white ranger, hanging limply in Nyus's arms with Alathos's sword to his throat. Shane instantly knew what they were up to and he knew that they would have no choice but to do what they were told or the new ranger would be killed.

"Open the chamber." Psycho Red ordered. He didn't need to make a threat. They all knew what he wasn't saying.

Shane glanced at Yellow. "How do we open it?"

"You six touch the etchings." Yellow said, never taking his eyes off Crimson. He knew his ex-teammate was doing the same.

The six rangers did as they were told, albeit a little hesitantly. Almost immediately the wall slid up and the chamber inside was revealed. They were all stunned. There were ten Gems of Power inside, all nestled on a cushion of some sort. The amazement faded to horror when they realized what kind of force Kalix could make with that. They had to stop their enemies from getting the Gems, but at the same time they couldn't risk the Ice Ranger's life.

Suddenly Nyus gasped as ice began to spread over his body, originating from the Ice Ranger. He tried to drop his captive, but it was too late. The ice spread much too quickly and all he got out was a muffled grunt before he was completely taken over by it. The Ice Ranger broke out of Nyus's frozen hold and as his feet touched the ground he let himself flow right into a leg sweep that took Alathos down. He then pulled his double-bladed sword and jumped at Mesaus.

That's when chaos totally broke out. The Rangers rushed into the battle and the Gems were momentarily forgotten. Almost. Psycho Blue kept herself out of the fight and slipped silently into the chamber. She put on the special glove and began putting the Gems in a pouch. She had just gotten the eighth one in there when she was kicked from behind. The force of the blow sent her tumbling face down and she didn't even get to her feet before she was kicked again. She didn't bother to stick around. She didn't want to risk the Rangers stealing those Gems from her. With a flash of light she was gone.

The rest of the Psychos and the remaining knight monsters realized they couldn't win the fight, but the victory was still theirs. With another flash of light they were all gone, even the frozen Nyus. That left the rangers standing almost completely empty handed with only two Gems, but on the other hand, apparently they had a new ally. They were left to wonder when things were going to start going their way.


	22. Fed Up

AN: The title of this story is going to be changing. Look for When Everything Goes Wrong...when I add chapter 23. I've already named the next two stories, it's kind of a theme...Anyway, didn't want anyone to get lost when I change it. Yes, this is going to be a trilogy. Hope you're in for the long haul. Things are going to get bigger and badder before they ever get better.

ZzZzZ

Dr. Kardan Radkee was a man who was fed up. He was fed up with the poor treatment. He was fed up with having to patch his teammate up because Kalix found his biological differences amusing. Most of all he was fed up with Kalix in general. He had put up with a lot in two years, but no more. He had done nothing because Kalix had two of his teammates locked up and he couldn't leave without them. He had done nothing because he wanted to be a good influence on the Psycho Rangers. But most of all he had done nothing because they would have had no place to go. None of those things were reasons to stay any longer. He had a plan and he was going to execute it.

He took a bolt gun out of the place he had hidden it several weeks ago. It was a gun that was almost completely silent and fired concentrated bolts of energy that could cut right through dedian armor. As ridiculous as it may have seemed he hated using weapons. As a doctor he had to deal with the consequences of violence everyday. But he had learned long ago to put his feelings aside and do what was necessary. He put the gun in the hidden pocket of his jacket and left the room. Immediately he saw two dedians patrolling the hall and passed them like he normally would.

"Where are you going Dr. Radkee?" One of the dedians asked tonelessly.

"To my quarters." Kardan replied.

The two dedians seemed to accept the answer and continued on their way. Kardan watched them turn a corner before he headed to the main tech room. He put in Psycho Red's username and password and entered the tech room. He found it ridiculously easy to find his morpher as well as those of his teammates and the other ranger that was imprisoned with them. He wished he could steal the Gems of Power that had been brought back, but they were better guarded. He strapped the morpher around his wrist, hid the others in the hidden pockets of his jacket, and headed out of the room and toward the hanger.

When Kalix had captured him and his two teammates, the raptor had also taken their cruiser. The ship was two to three times smaller than Kalix's ship, but it had been the Battle Rangers pride and joy. Ekkan had been so proud of it, having helped engineer its design. It had been a connecting point for the Battle Rangers when they needed to discus strategy or just hang out and be close. Otherwise the team was split between the five provinces and didn't see each other. The ship had meant a lot and Kardan was glad that Kalix had captured it rather than destroyed it. He hoped it would be a great help in the long run.

ZzZzZ

Dustin was more perceptive than he acted a lot of the time and he could easily tell that their new ally was hiding something. Oh, the Ice Ranger had shared his name readily enough. His name was Sebastien Reece and he was 16 years old. His parents were teachers at the Ice Academy and had gone missing along with everyone else. Sebastien had been hiding in the caves for months, living on stockpiles of food, and waiting for something to happen. The kid didn't explain why he hadn't been taken with everyone else or how food had got stockpiled at the cave, and for the moment none of them felt it important information. Dustin could just tell that the kid was hiding something deeper and darker than that.

Not that he got a bad vibe from Sebastien. Not in the sense of a bad guy playing good. More like Sebastien had a feeling they wouldn't like his reason for not being taken with everyone else. He could read in the kid's body language that he was nervous and a little scared. They had already explained Lothor and then Kalix and his Psycho Rangers to Sebastien. The sixteen-year-old looked like it all might overwhelm him, but was keeping up a brave face as if he had something to prove to his new allies. Dustin wondered just what the kid was hiding, but knew it was too soon to push for knowledge.

"So my Academy was guarding those Gems of Power and now that this Kalix has them things are going to get even worse?" Sebastien asked.

"Probably much worse." Hunter replied, eyes guarded against the new ranger. "We're probably looking at eight more Psycho Rangers."

"At least it's not ten." Dustin offered positively.

"I don't think two Gems are going to make a difference." Hunter replied. He thought he was being realistic, but to Dustin he just sounded negative.

Sebastien seemed to sense the argument brewing and quickly changed the subject. The hanger felt small as it was, they didn't need hostile emotions making it worse. His crystal blue eyes focused in on Niko and Zadan. "You guys used to work for Kalix?"

"I was under a spell and Zadan was being influenced by a Yellow Amulet." Niko explained. "Kale broke the spell over me when he arrived and then I talked Zadan into breaking the Amulet."

Sebastien nodded as if taking all the information in. "Kale's the one you told me was guarding the other Gems of Power, right?"

"Right, he's the Knight Ranger. Kalix captured him earlier today." Zadan replied.

Sebastien could feel it was a sensitive subject and easily moved the conversation away from the topic of the captured Knight Ranger. Hunter watched him like a hawk. He sensed the same deception from the boy as Dustin did and that didn't make him want to trust the Ice Ranger. Sure, when he concentrated on Sebastien he could sense nothing but goodness in him, white power as Kale would probably call it, but that didn't take away from the fact that the Ice Ranger was keeping something from them. Hunter narrowed his eyes slightly. _For his own sake it better not be anything important._

Blake knew that Sebastien was hiding something. The kid wasn't doing a very good job of it, but he didn't feel the need to know what was being hidden. If anything he was sure it was why he hadn't been captured and more likely than not Sebastien was embarrassed by it or maybe even a little ashamed. If that was the case then Blake felt sorry for him. He knew from experience that him being there when Lothor attacked didn't make any difference at all. He had been captured along with everyone else. Sebastien probably thought he could have made a difference, but the truth was he just would have been captured too. Blake made a note to himself to talk to the Ice Ranger about it when they got better acquainted.

ZzZzZ

Kardan smirked at how easy it was to move freely around the ship. Kalix had next to no security cameras in the halls and the patrols were pretty sparse. It was a sign of the raptor's arrogance, but it was well founded arrogance. Still, he had to wonder what it would take for Kalix to get more cameras installed and keep a better vigilance over the inside of the ship. He was mildly insulted that Kalix didn't see him as enough of a threat to keep an eye on, but at the same time he was grateful. It was giving him the chance he needed to get himself and his teammates out of there.

"Well now, where do you think you're going?"

Kardan spun and Psycho Red's voice. They hated each other. Ever since Red had first landed himself in Dr. Radkee's infirmary they had clashed. Red would love the chance to bust him, maybe even inflict a little punishment of his own on the doctor. Kardan tensed, ready to fight if he needed to and Red laughed. Red knew the doctor had been a ranger at one time, but he didn't see a physician being a good fighter. He quickly learned the error of that thinking.

Radkee didn't waste a moment with banter or threats. He lunged forward and slammed Psycho Red to the side, using all his weight to muscle the surprised warrior against the wall. Then with the same lightning fast movement he slammed Red's head against the wall with unforgiving force as many times as he could before Red shoved him away. The Psycho Ranger was stunned though and didn't even get a chance to defend himself before a kick landed right in his helmeted face, snapping his head back against the wall. Red managed a grunt of surprise before he fell into darkness.

Kardan watched the Psycho Ranger slump to the ground and smirked. _That's what he gets for underestimating a ranger. _He let his amusement fade as he took off down the hall to the big hanger doors at the very end. He put it Psycho Red's username and password and the doors slid open with a soft hiss. Inside dedians were performing maintenance on the Wingers and four were standing guard around the very cruiser he wanted on. It was time for him to do something he hadn't done in a long time.

"Here goes nothing."

There was no time for fancy morphing calls. Instead he just pushed the morphing button and gasped at the feeling of his ranger power surging into his body once more. It was an amazing feeling to be connected with his power once more, to feel it rushing through every part of his body. For just a moment he felt completely invincible, but the feeling passed as he came down from the slight high and realized that his morphing had given off a light that had alerted the dedians to his presence.

He pulled the sophisticated blaster from his side and began blasting the dedians away as they surged toward him. They had to go up a flight of stairs before they reached him and none of them were armed with blasters. Stupid really, but they were hand to hand fighters and usually had no need for guns of any sort. It was another testament to how lax the security was on board the ship. Kalix was going to learn that lesson the hard way.

The dedians were dealt with swiftly and efficiently and the hanger was his. He made a move toward the ship, but when he got within three feet he hit a wall and was expelled backwards with a sharp crackle of energy. Alright, that meant Kalix had a force field around it, not a shield. _Ouch_. He picked himself up with a grimace and looked for the control panel and found it easily not far away. Again he was required to input Red's username and password and then shut down the force field. He was just turning to go back toward the ship when a new batch of dedians stormed in, these ones armed with blasters. Apparently he hadn't dealt with the others quickly enough.

"Surrender!" A dedian with red trim ordered.

Kardan answered by putting a hole in that particular dedian's head. The others opened fire and he threw himself behind the control panel for protection. This was exactly what he didn't need. The longer a battle with dedians took the longer it took him to get into the ship where he could be safe. If he didn't deal with the foot soldiers quickly he would have bigger things to deal with. He mentally concentrated on a particular piece of weaponry every Battle Ranger had and a moment later a shoulder mounted rocket launcher blinked into existence. Crosshairs appeared in his vision and he took quick aim before firing. The resulting explosion took care of the dedians and melted the door together, leaving twisted steel keeping any unwanted guests out.

With his problems taken care of for the moment Kardan headed into the ship. There were a lot of things he had to do before he could get the ship ready to go and if he wasn't quick about them he wouldn't be going anyplace.

ZzZzZ

"It is good to see someone of the Ice Academy escaped capture." Sensei said.

For a moment Sebastien simply stared at the talking guinea pig as if unsure to believe his own eyes, but quickly remembered his manners and bowed. "Thank you Sensei Watanabe." He looked like he wanted to say more, a shadow of doubt falling over his young face before he carefully schooled his features again. "I'm equally glad to see I'm not the only one. How did you all escape capture?"

"We were late to class." Dustin answered immediately. "By the time we arrived Lothor had come and gone already."

"We found Cam buried under some rocks and he brought us down to Ninja Ops." Tori continued. At the mention of the Samurai the mood in Ninja Ops took a quick turn for the worst.

Sebastien felt the change and decided not to ask who Cam was yet. They'd explain when they were ready. Instead he looked at the two Thunder Rangers. "I never expected to see Thunders working with Winds. I thought there was some kind of rivalry between your schools."

"Not rivalry necessarily." Blake said. "Just a sort of mutual separation."

Sebastien nodded, though it was less of an explanation than he had hoped for. "The Ice Academy is like that with all of the other schools. I don't really know why and I've never asked."

"It is an old argument best left in the past." Sensei replied. "I would be very pleased to see the forces of Wind, Thunder, and Ice working together as one."

"Seeing as how I have no where else to go and no one else to fight Lothor with I don't think I have a choice."

ZzZzZ

Zadan looked at Niko worriedly. He found his younger friend with the same expression. Things were just getting worse instead of better. They had both thought that by joining the rangers they would make a difference against their ex-teammates and maybe even Kalix. Nothing was going like it should have. Cam was on death's doorstep and they were soon going to be faced with eight new Psycho Rangers. How were they supposed to make a difference now? Things had just gotten worse since their arrival, not better.

"What are we going to do Zadan?" Niko asked. "We can't let this planet fall into Kalix's control."

Zadan frowned. "Whatever happens we can't let him find anything the Anasai might have left. Especially if the Morphing Grid generator is here."

"I think we already agreed on that." Niko said, not quite following his companion's thought process.

"If it appears Kalix is going to win we might have to do something drastic Niko."

"Like what?" Niko asked, still not understanding what Zadan was trying to get at.

"Destroy Earth."

Niko was sure he had heard wrong. There was no way Zadan had just suggested something so drastic, something no ranger could do. "I must have heard you wrong. Did you just say destroy Earth?"

"You didn't hear me wrong."

"You've got to be kidding." Niko said, eyes going wide. "How could you even think that?"

Zadan had the good grace to look ashamed, but still held firm. "Niko, if Earth falls to Kalix and he finds Anasai technology no one will be able to stop him. He can go back and conquer the places he couldn't before. If he conquers Earth we have to destroy the planet."

"Not that I'm agreeing, but how would we even go about doing such a thing? I mean...is that even possible?" Niko asked, blue-green eyes still wide. "Why not try and find the generators ourselves?"

"And give Kalix even half the idea that something THAT important is here? He'd have the full force of his armada here wiping out life completely just so nothing would stand in his way of finding it." Zadan said with determination.

Niko frowned and wiped a hand over his forehead. He had never thought that at the age of 16 he would be deciding a whole planet's fate. He expected to be protecting and serving, not planning how to destroy. It wasn't in his nature, not that kind of malicious, cold thought process. He sighed deeply. He was too young for this kind of pressure and certainly too young to make that kind of decision.

"Listen, I think we should focus on how to beat Kalix, not what to do when we fail." Niko finally said. "And if it comes to something so drastic...Let's just wait and talk with Kale, okay? He'd know what to do."

"You're depending on him for answers now?"

"No!" Niko barked, giving his teammate a glare. "But we're a team now and it wouldn't be right for us to not include him."

Zadan didn't argue. They both fell silent as they thought about their captured comrade. He wasn't sure what they would do if Kale didn't escape some how. They needed him more than Zadan cared to admit.

ZzZzZ

"Ah Ha!"

He may have just been a physician, but Kardan was a quick learner and observant enough that he had learned some things from Sizvu. Hacking wasn't easy, but his techno-whiz of a teammate had left behind a hacking program that had made things much easier. All he had to do was follow a few cues and the battle station hacked into Kalix's flagship computer with relative ease. He knew Kalix's systems well enough that it was easy to drop a few shields, shut down a few weapons systems, and open bay doors. The easiest part was locking onto his teammates, plus two, and transporting them onto the ship.

The easiest part was done. The hard part came with trying to pilot the massive battle station. Learning some technology was easy, but a pilot he would never be. That would have been Baja or Ekkan, but they certainly weren't there to help. All he could do was set the auto-pilot and hope that it could fly them out of the hangar without tearing them to pieces.

The doors into the bridge slid open and Sizvu entered, taking up his position at the weapons controls without a word. A moment later Harper entered, still not fully recovered from his beating, and stood looking for something he could help with. None of them were ready when the battle station went from no movement to near full speed so quickly that even the inertial dampeners almost didn't help. When they all recovered they watched the main screen as the flagships twenty cannons took aim on them and then remained oddly silent.

"Ah good, it worked. Had to say I wasn't sure I'd done everything right." Kardan said, smiling proudly.

Sizvu shot him a look of approval. "Good job Kar. There's hope for ya yet."

"Oh bugger off you."

"Guys, not to interrupt your oh so cute flirting, but I think they've undone whatever you did Kardan."

Kardan and Sizvu both snapped their attention the main screen. Harper was right. The flagship's cannons were beginning to glow green, energy collecting and crackling around the barrels. They wouldn't stand a chance. Those cannons could destroy whole moons.

"Aye, that would be a problem." Sizvu said, a small smirk forming. "But they can't shoot what they can't see."

ZzZzZ

Kalix roared with fury as the battle station shimmered out of view before his cannons could fire. This was a development he hadn't expected. He never would have guessed that Kardan Radkee, mild mannered and weak doctor, would have the guts to pull off an escape. More than that, he knew that as soon as Lothor figured out what had just happened that his little game would be over.

"Deder, prepare a few surprises for Lothor. I want to take his ship out as quickly as possible when the time comes." Kalix growled.

"Yes Master Kalix."

ZzZzZ

"I don't trust him. He's hiding something." Hunter said as he and Dustin relaxed outside.

"Of course you don't. You don't trust anyone at first." Dustin replied with a knowing smile. "And I'm sure he is hiding something dude, he doesn't even know us."

"We've been truthful with him so far." Hunter said, his voice clearly announcing his disapproval of that.

"And when he gets to know us maybe he'll tell us what he's hiding." Dustin reasoned. He sighed slightly. "I'm not asking you to trust him Hunter. I'm just asking you to give him a chance. Like I gave you."

Hunter groaned. "How did I know you were going to play that card against me? That's no fair."

"All's fair in love and war." Dustin said with a mega-watt grin. "C'mon Hunter, where would you and Blake be if Tori and I hadn't been willing to give you guys a chance?"

"Well--."

"That's what I thought."

"Hey, who said I was agreeing with you?"

"Were you going to argue?"

"Maybe."

Dustin smacked his friend's shoulder. "You're a pain dude. How does Blake talk you into things?"

"Not the same way you will." Hunter replied, eyes suddenly mischievous. Dustin's face turned a comical shade of red and Hunter laughed. "You're cute when you blush."

"Just when I blush?" Dustin asked, a little of the red going away.

"And when you smile."

Sebastien watched them silently, secure in the knowledge that they had no clue he was around. Unlike a lot of the people he knew back home he didn't have a problem with homosexuality, though he wasn't overly enthused by it either. But just watching them he could sense the deeper feelings they hadn't quite admitted to each other. It made his heart jerk painfully. _I'll get you back Heather, I promise._


	23. Coup d'etat

"That's the last straw." Lothor snarled, finally fed-up. "First traitorous Psycho Rangers and now escaped prisoners. What kind of General is he?"

"He has his own agenda sir; he has since the beginning." Zurgane said.

Lothor growled. "I don't need you telling me "I told you so", General." He fixed Zurgane with a pointed glare. "Transport over there and take over. Kill that slimy snake if you have to."

"With pleasure."

ZzZzZ

Kalix watched calmly as General Zurgane transported into his command room. He sat without a care in his chair, as the impotent fool demanded he relinquish command of the ship. It was only when Zurgane drew his swords that Kalix finally moved. With a wave of his clawed hand he sent Zurgane flying backwards and pinned him against a wall. Kalix stood and stalked over to his rival, eyes flashing menacingly.

"You dare show your face on my ship after stabbing me in the back?" Kalix snarled. "Did you really think that would be the end of me? You fool. By having me banished you gave me the chance I needed to grow an army. I should thank you really, except friends aren't supposed to betray each other."

"You assumed I would go along with your foolhardy plan. It's your own fault for planning against Lothor." Zurgane replied defiantly.

Kalix smirked then, his anger fading to amusement. "You could have had a part in my army, been a General at least, but that fate is hardly the reward of betrayal. In fact, you're lucky I don't slowly tear your mind apart, letting you feel it as you lose yourself, but in honor of what we once had I'm simply going to imprison you."

"You'll never get away with anything." Zurgane snarled.

"Oh please, don't start throwing cliché hero one-liners at me." Kalix sneered. "Your pathetic Lothor is hardly capable of stopping me. And surely you're not supporting the rangers?"

Zurgane remained defiantly silent. He could only watch as the three knight monsters entered the room. As soon as Kalix released his telepathic hold Zurgane made a move toward the raptor, but Nyus was too fast. The bronze knight lashed out with a kick that met Zurgane's head with a sharp crack of metal on metal. Lothor's General was quickly subdued by the superior knights and led away.

Kalix smirked to himself. His game with Lothor was over, but the fun was just starting. He wished he could see the look on Lothor's face when the "evil" space ninja realized he was way out of his league. It was for that reason he contacted Lothor, his subservient act going right out of the window. He gave Lothor a full on smirk and sat casually in his chair.

"Your crony has failed Lothor, but are you really surprised? I told you long ago that you didn't want to banish me. That you would regret it." Kalix said, gauging Lothor's reaction.

Lothor's face was turning a furious shade of red beneath his mask. "How dare you! You listen to me you little upstart…"

"Oh Lothor, you don't just use cliches, you are a walking talking one." Kalix mocked. "An arrogant, unimaginative, walking cliché."

"Where do you get off talking to me like that?" Lothor demanded. "I'm not going to banish you this time. This time I'll kill you myself!"

Kalix smirked, his sharp teeth gleaming. "You think so? Well, I have something to show you and then let's see what you think."

With that he nodded toward Deder. The armored being punched in a few buttons while Kalix watched the screen expectantly. He watched as Lothor took in the sight of the cloak around half of his flagship shimmering away. He watched as the ninja's eyes grew wide at the sight of a ship twice as big as his own. Kalix felt extremely satisfied to see fear fill Lothor's eyes as he realized how much he had underestimated his ex-General.

"Now, you can do the smart thing, surrender, and be imprisoned with Zurgane to maybe earn the privilege of serving me later. Or you could do the stupid thing and try to fight me." Kalix said, eyes shinning with excitement.

Lothor quickly regained his composure and hid his fear. "Lothor serves no one."

"I had hoped you'd say that." Kalix laughed. "Deder."

The general didn't have to be told what to do. With a push of the finger two torpedo-like weapons fired from the ship and raced toward Lothor's ship. Lothor's ship fired at them, trying to blast the torpedoes, but it did no good. The torpedoes exploded and energy surged through Lothor's ship, splashing over it like water. Lothor roared with fury as his ship systems short-circuited and everything shut down. Hooks shot out from inside one of the flagship's hangers and attached themselves to Lothor's ship and began to pull it in.

"You should have just surrendered Lothor." Kalix taunted. "It would have saved you the humiliation."

"You--."

"Won't get away with this? You're hardly in a position to throw THAT particular cliché at me." Kalix continued to taunt. "Just sit back and relax Lothor. Your days as a force of evil are over."

ZzZzZ

Running a simulation with Sebastien for the first time was quite an experience. His fighting style was extremely different from both the Thunders and the Winds. It seemed the stealth and ambush bit of his training went out the window in a close combat situation where neither was possible. Instead he became extremely aggressive and he had enough ice tricks to keep the three Winds on their toes. His tactics were very different and Sensei noted with some dismay that the others weren't adapting well. The Winds had a hard time defending against him, and the Thunders couldn't seem to work with him.

The Thunders didn't seem to mesh as well with Sebastien as they did with Cam. Sensei noted that with interest. It seemed that though Blake seemed to put some trust into Sebastien, Hunter's inability to do so affected the battle tremendously. In fact, it seemed as if the two were beginning to get in each other's way rather than trying to cooperate and get things done. Sensei just hoped that this inability to work together wouldn't affect them on the real battlefield where someone could get hurt.

A beeping noise by the computer caught Sensei's attention. He bounced his way over there and found that it was the pager Kale had left for Cam. He looked over as the simulation ended itself and the rangers collected themselves. He sighed to himself when he saw Sebastien and Hunter glaring at each other. Something was going to have to be worked out between them before they got themselves or someone else hurt.

"Rangers, I believe Niko and Zadan are trying to contact you." Sensei said.

Hunter and Sebastien continued to glare at each other, but the others rushed over to pager. Shane knew how to work it from watching Cam do it and managed to pull up the message. The two Psychos were summoning them to the ship, just like Kale would. The six rangers streaked away leaving Sensei behind. At the usual spot they were transported into the cavern where they were met by the two Psychos.

"Kale's escaped!" Niko exclaimed.

"Actually, Dr. Radkee finally got fed up with Kalix and escaped taking everyone with him." Zadan replied. "He's invited us all to his ship; we thought you might like to meet him and the others."

"Another ship?" Dustin asked voice excited.

"He's got it hidden in the ocean." Niko said, indirectly answering Dustin's question

"Sweet!"

Shane and Tori shared a look of amusement at Dustin's enthusiasm, but the mood quickly grew serious again as Blake asked the question everyone was truly wondering. "How's Cam?"

"He's...still not awake." Niko said. "That's all we know."

The rangers shared looks of disappointment and worry, but agreed to go with Niko and Zadan. Niko used Kale's communication systems to send a brief message back to Radkee including their coordinates and the next thing everyone knew they were on a completely different ship. It had better lighting and was obviously much, much bigger than Kale's shuttle. The room that they appeared in was obviously the command bridge as there were different stations and a huge viewscreen at the front.

"Dr. Radkee, about time you grew a backbone." Zadan teased as the good natured doctor approached them.

"Watch it you, you may still have need of my skills." Radkee retorted before grabbing the younger man in a headlock.

"Rangers, this is Dr. Kardan Radkee." Niko said, not even moving to help his teammate. Niko then went on to introduce the rangers, though he faltered at Sebastien, who had to introduce himself. "Where are your teammates?"

"Harper's sleeping and Sizvu working on some projects." Kardan said.

"Did you get Kale out?" Tori asked hopefully.

"Aye, but there's a problem.

"What problem?" Zadan asked.

"It seems when Kalix was tearing through Kale's mind the lad pulled his consciousness very deep into his dark subconscious and either can't or won't come back. I've no psychic powers with which to help, but Amias is doing what he can."

"Amias?" Niko repeated, blue-green eyes gone unbelievably wide.

Kardan nodded. "Aye, do you kn---."

Before the doctor could even finish what he was saying Niko took off out of the room. It didn't matter that he didn't know where he was going. He mentally reached out for Amias, trying to search out his older friend's familiar presence. Suddenly it was there, like the feeling of cool water in his mind, he felt Amias for the first time in several years. He easily followed the feeling to Amias and had to restrain himself from tackling his wayward teammate. As soon as he entered the room Amias's head shot up and he pulled his mind back from Kale's and stood up.

"Niko?" Amias whispered, just as surprised to find his Navy teammate still alive. Somehow he had never heard that Niko was Psycho Navy. "You're just full of surprises, aren't you kid?"

"Makes me more interesting than you old man." Niko replied.

They moved as one and enveloped each other in a huge hug. They were both more than a little excited to see someone else from their planet still alive. For a long time they just stayed that way and enjoyed the fact that among so many stranger they hadn't known long they were suddenly with someone they had known for several years. Finally there was some familiarity.

"I can't believe I never picked up on the fact that you were Psycho Navy." Amias said as they pulled apart.

"I walked right by you when I busted Kale out." Niko said, slightly ashamed of himself. "How did Kalix get a hold of you? Where did you go when you left Dai II?"

Amias smiled at his younger friend's curiosity. "We'll talk later Niko-kan, I promise. But right now I need your help fixing the mess Kale's made of his mind."

"Let's do it." Niko said, excited at the idea of working with his teammate again.

Zadan watched from the doorway, happy for Niko, but jealous all at the same time. He knew for a fact all his teammates were dead. He'd helped kill them all himself. He had no one left. No one except Niko who, until just, now had not had anyone else either. What was he supposed to do now? Niko would surely forget about him and spend time with his real teammate, his ranger teammate and not his Psycho teammate.

"You're not forgotten lad." Kardan said as if reading the Psycho's mind. "He's just happy to see his teammate, but he's still going to come to you tonight."

Meanwhile the ninjas were left wondering what else could go wrong. First Cam was seriously, maybe even fatally wounded. Then Kalix got his claws on eight Gems of Power and now one of their best allies, Kale, was out of the game for a while as well. On the bright side they gained a new teammate, Sebastien, and apparently four new allies. Maybe things would start to look up for them.

ZzZzZ

"Come out come out wherever you are." Psycho Blue called as she and her teammates scoured Lothor's ship for everyone hiding on it. Choobo had given up without a fight, but Lothor, Kapri, and Marah were still unaccounted for.

Marah bit back a whimper and tried to stay hidden. Normally she would have tried to put up some kind of fight or just transport away, but Kalix had some kind of forcefield around the ship that blocked transportation. Fighting against the Psychos just wasn't an option. She knew she was no match for them, none at all. She was sure even her Uncle couldn't stand up to them. They were on a whole different level of power.

Suddenly her closest was torn open, the metal shrieking with protest, and a blue hand snatched her out of her hiding place. Psycho Blue's visor glowed with glee as Marah struggled. She laughed mockingly, the distortion making it even more malicious.

"I could say you put up a fight and finish you off myself." Blue said, enjoying the fear in Marah's eyes.

Marah shot a beam at Psycho Blue, but it didn't even faze the evil warrior. Blue tossed her across the room and smirked at the sickening crack her head made against the wall. She was unconcerned by what kind of damage she might do to the pathetic excuse of a warrior. _Evil space ninja. _She sneered in her mind, approaching the crumpled form with every intention of finishing the pest off. She would have too if Red hadn't caught the thought and ordered her to bring Marah to Kalix as their master had ordered.

Meanwhile Kapri had decided to try and fight Crimson and the Psycho Ranger was just toying with her. He blocked all her attacks with a bored manner and laughed as her attempts grew more desperate and sloppier as well. When he finally grew tired of it he caught her wrist, swung her up into the air, and flung her out of the room and into the hall. He followed, laughing as he knelt beside her unconscious form. _These fools wanted to take over Earth?_

Red didn't have to look far. Lothor was sitting on his throne, not hiding at all. The evil ninja stood as Red entered the room.

"If you think you're taking me prisoner--."

Lothor didn't get anything more out. Red attacked with fierce efficiency. Lothor blocked everything that Red threw at him and managed to get in a few hits of his own, but Red could recover quicker than Lothor could. Then Lothor blasted Red pointed blank in the chest and it sent the Psycho Ranger flying. As Red got to his feet, he smirked behind his helmet.

"If you think that's powerful then you really are pathetic." Red sneered. "I'll show you power. Psycho Slash Attack!"

Lothor threw up a shield in front of himself, but it didn't help. Red's energy blew the shield apart and hit Lothor hard enough to send him flying back into his throne. Lothor sat on his throne dazed and hurt as Red approached him. Red mentally told the other Psychos of his success and they reported the same back.

With that task done they took their captives out of the ship and headed toward the command room. Kalix wanted to see Lothor face to face in order to properly humiliate the so-called evil space ninja. Crimson couldn't wait to see it. He had waited long enough to see Lothor bowing before them and he didn't want to waste anymore time.

ZzZzZ

Amias shoved Niko to the side as an energy blast ripped past where the younger boy had been. He then helped Niko up and the two of them looked where it had come from. Niko wasn't surprised to see Nyus, but he was surprised to see Kale as just the Black Knight Ranger along with the Green Knight Ranger. They were fighting fiercely against the knight monster, both obviously putting everything they could into the fight. Niko winced as Kale was sent flying from a shield-bash to the face. The Green Knight Ranger lunged, swinging his huge battle axe, but Nyus was quicker and ducked the axe and swiped the Green Ranger across the chest with his sickles.

"Valin!" Kale shouted, getting to his feet.

Nyus turned on him. "I'd worry about yourself Blackie."

"Don't call me that!" Kale roared and lunged at the monster with reckless abandon. He was rewarded with a rib cracking kick to the chest.

Niko was surprised by Kale's recklessness. It made him wonder just how long ago this memory was from. It was obvious that though Kale was a good fighter he definitely wasn't experienced yet. He kept making novice mistakes and Nyus was taking advantage of them. Likewise the Green Ranger, Valin, seemed to be having almost as much trouble. They couldn't seem to touch the monster and the only ones doing any sparking were them.

"Rez, we need help." Kale called into a device on his wrist.

"Sorry Kale, you guys are—ahhh!"

"Rez!" Valin and Kale shouted at the same time.

"He's okay, but you guys are on your own!" Another voice said.

Nyus laughed at them. "Looks like your teammates have abandoned you. Now what are you going to do?"

Niko glanced at Amias as the two Knight Ranger went at Nyus again. Amias was watching, caught up in the moment. Niko didn't blame him. It was really easy to get caught up in someone's memories, especially bad ones. But he knew they had a job to do and it didn't include watching Kale relieve his worst memories.

"Amias, let's put an end to his nightmare." Niko said, catching his friend's attention.

Amias's head snapped around. "Oh yeah, no reason for him to suffer through it again."

Niko stepped forward and grimaced as Valin was sent flying by a kick. "Kale! Kale this isn't real!"

Kale didn't acknowledge them and instead leapt at Nyus's back as the monster approached the fallen Valin. Nyus swung around and caught Kale on the point of one of his sickles. The blade went right through Kale and protruded out of his back as Nyus laughed. Valin jumped up to help his teammate, but Nyus swung around and flung Kale's limp body at the Green Ranger. Both rangers went tumbling and that's when the memory got fuzzy, as if Kale had only been half aware of what was going on. The last thing they saw before the memory faded was Kale getting picked up by Nyus and transported away.

Niko glanced at Amias. "This isn't going to be easy, is it?"

"Nothing can ever be easy for rangers."

ZzZzZ

Kalix smirked at Lothor as the Psycho Ranger brought the evil ninja before him. "Ah Lothor, glad to finally see you in your rightful place bowing before me."

"This isn't the end Kalix." Lothor snarled.

The raptor laughed. "No, this is just the beginning of my conquering of Earth. This is the end for you though, unless you earn the honor of serving me."

"I would never serve a slimy snake such as yourself." Lothor retorted.

"Suit yourself." Kalix said with a shrug. "You'd hardly make more than a monster in my army anyway, and a pretty pathetic one at that."

Lothor bristled, ready for a fight, but one restraining hand on his shoulder was enough to keep him down. "I should have killed you when I had the chance."

"Yes, you should have." The raptor looked at the Psychos. "Take them to holding cells with the rest of their underlings. I'll deal with them later."

"Yes Master Kalix." The Psychos replied and led Lothor and his nieces away.

Kalix looked at the Knights of Destruction. "You three, I've programmed coordinates into the computer. I want you to go there and do as much damage as you can."

"Yes Master Kalix."

ZzZzZ

"They may be at that a while." Kardan said, ushering the rangers and Zadan out of the infirmary where Amias and Niko were diligently working. "You may as well go home, but I'll give all of ya TansComs so you can get back here and/or communicate with us and each other."

"I'm not leaving." Zadan said firmly, as if Radkee would argue with him.

Kardan smiled. "There are guest quarters down the hall. You and Niko are welcome to live here. Kale too since all he's got is that horribly small shuttle."

The rangers accepted the TransComs Kardan offered them, though Sebastien was still trying to catch up with everything. He was beginning to think he was going to need it all written down for him to understand what had been going on. Still, he went along with whatever his new and more experienced teammates did and accepted that they would obviously know better. He stayed silent as Shane thanked Kardan for the devices and the visit to his ship and then transported away when they did. They arrived just outside of Ninja Ops, but something stopped Sebastien from following his new teammates in. His instincts flared, a sense of something terribly wrong overwhelming him. He looked around, trying to find the source, and jerked with surprise as he heard an outraged roar come from inside Ninja Ops. Sebastien turned and hurried to catch up with his teammates and he stopped dead in his tracks as he saw what had caused Hunter's anger.

Ninja Ops was almost completely destroyed and Sensei was missing.


	24. Friends and Teammates

The rangers all stared at the device Kardan held up between tweezers. It was no bigger than a dime and thin as well. It had been attached to Tori's neck, hidden under all her hair. The doctor squeezed the tweezers, destroying the delicate machine, and sighed.

"It's a tracking device. That's how Kalix found your Ninja Ops." Kardan said. "It was no doubt planted when Tori was captured."

"If he knew where Ninja Ops was, why did he wait so long to attack?" Dustin asked.

Hunter snarled, glaring at the ruined device. "He waited until we weren't there to defend it."

"He did the same thing to our team." Harper said, taking the tracker from Kardan. "He captured me, tortured me, and found out about our cloaked battle station. So, he planted the tracker on me and when I went back to the battle station he was able to find it, regardless of the cloak."

"Not your fault." Kardan said automatically. Harper looked like he would argue. "You couldn't help that you got captured. Craggan was careless and let you get captured."

"He never did accept that an alien got to be a Battle Ranger." Harper said, somewhat accepting what Kardan was saying. "I think he resented the fact that I was chosen instead of his brother."

"Kalix probably honed in on that and realized that of the partners you two were the weakest simply because you didn't work well together." Kardan said. With that he looked at the rangers, who had been watching. "Let that be a lesson that you don't have to learn. The better you work together and the stronger the team you are the better chance you have against Kalix. He'll find any weaknesses, any team strife and use it against you."

At that Sebastien and Hunter glared at each other. Hunter wasn't ready to trust the Ice Ranger and would have much rather had Cam fighting beside Blake and himself. Cam they could trust. This new kid, Hunter just didn't trust him. He knew Sebastien was hiding something and he wanted to know what. Until he found out that it wasn't a dangerous secret he wasn't going to put any faith into the kid.

Likewise Sebastien was tired of the dirty looks he kept receiving from the older ninja. He didn't want to put up with it, but these rangers were his best shot at getting his parents and Heather back. If that meant dealing with stuck up Thunders then that's what he would have to do. He didn't need to befriend the other rangers, just work with them toward the common goal.

"Anyway," Kardan continued, trying to ignore the tension he could feel. "There's plenty of rooms for ya here. It'll be safer than going to your homes where Kalix could find you."

"What about Sensei?" Tori asked.

"There's nothing we can do for him now." Harper replied apologetically. "You're just going to have to hope that Kalix finds some use for him."

ZzZzZ

"Well, I must say I didn't expect a rodent to be the mentor of a ranger team, but stranger things have happened." Kalix sneered, looking at the guinea pig held in Alathos's big hand. Sensei didn't reply. "You could make a tasty snack, unless you think you will be otherwise useful."

"I will not help you in any way." Sensei replied calmly.

Kalix smirked. "Willingly - perhaps not. But I think your mind holds valuable information. Like how to harness the elements."

"You may learn how we do it, but only those with a natural connection to the elements may gain the power to use them." Sensei said. "You will find no use for that information."

"You are diminishing your worth to me rodent." Kalix sneered, eyes gleaming. "If I were you I would make yourself valuable to me."

"There is nothing you can learn from me that will help you."

Kalix snorted. He couldn't believe the little rat wasn't trying to save his own tail. He had no reason to keep the pest. If there was no useful information in his mind then what good was he? He could demand the rangers surrender, but that was an unnecessary cliché villain tactic. The rangers wouldn't surrender for any reason. In fact, he had seen rangers pull off rescues under the false pretense of surrender. In any case, he didn't want the rangers to surrender. That would take away from the fun of totally annihilating them. He looked forward to that.

"Put him in a cage and hang it in the corner over there." Kalix ordered. "He may yet be useful."

"Yes Master Kalix."

ZzZzZ

"_Kale! Kale it's not real!" Niko yelled, trying to get through to Kale._

_Nyus was vigorously and ruthlessly torturing Kale. Niko could tell this was a much younger version of Kale, maybe only fifteen or sixteen. It was probably when Kale had first been introduced to torture and it was heartbreaking to see what he had gone through. Niko was doing everything he could to try and get through to Kale that it wasn't real, but it was as if Kale's mind wasn't acknowledging their presence._

Niko pulled his mind back, unable to watch the torture Kale was putting himself through again. He was getting tired and he and Amias hadn't managed to do anything except learn some of the painful details of Kale's past. With a sigh he looked over and saw that Amias had done the same and was looking back at him, obviously just as worn out.

"I was beginning to wonder if I was going to have to interrupt you lads." Kardan said, making both jump.

Niko glanced over his shoulder at the doctor. "I was hoping it would be easier than this."

"What's wrong?"

"Kale's mind is only letting us observe, not interact. We can't convince him to come back to consciousness if he won't acknowledge we're there." Amias explained. "We have to figure out how to actually get into his subconscious mind."

"It's not going to be easy." Niko added. "It takes trust and though he trusts me on some level I don't know if he trusts me enough to let me in."

"He definitely doesn't trust me. He doesn't even know me." Amias continued. "We need someone his mind will trust completely, because forcing our way in will do more harm than good."

"For the time being you lads are going to get something to eat and sleep. When you're properly rested you can start again." Kardan said, his voice brooking no argument.

The two younger boys nodded in agreement and left the room and headed for the rec. room. Kardan glanced at Kale's prone form and sighed, frustrated he couldn't do anything. He pulled a sheet over the sleeping man, dimmed the lights, and left the room. He hoped that Niko and Amias would be able to help Kale, because he couldn't.

ZzZzZ

Dustin hesitated outside of what had become Sebastien's room. His hand was close to the buzzer, but he couldn't bring himself to ring it. As perhaps one of the most perceptive members of the group to other's feelings, Dustin almost felt it his duty to talk to Sebastien. He could tell that the younger boy was feeling overwhelmed and alienated and Hunter wasn't doing anything to help that. He felt a brief flash of anger at the thought of the Thunder's treatment of their new teammate. So what if Sebastien was hiding something. Everyone had their own secrets and they were entitled to them as long as they weren't hurting someone. Dustin doubted Sebastien's secrets were deadly or dangerous.

Finally, Dustin bit the bullet and pushed the buzzer button. There was a bit of a pause before the door slid open. Sebastien stood there, out of his ninja uniform for the first time Dustin had seen him. Obviously Sebastien had used the synthesizer Kardan had showed them to get some casual clothes to wear. He had to admit that Sebastien was adorable in the boy-next-door way with his black cargo pants and white shirt. It was a good thing for Hunter that when it came to guys, Dustin was more attracted to sexy and alluring rather than cute and adorable.

"What's up?" Sebastien asked.

"I just wanted to talk to you." Dustin replied.

Sebastien cocked an eyebrow. "About what?"

"A lot of things." Dustin replied, implying he wanted to talk inside.

Sebastien seemed to hesitate before finally stepping aside to let Dustin enter. Dustin stepped inside and stood awkwardly at the door until the younger boy motioned toward the bed. Sebastien sat at the chair provided for the computer and turned to face Dustin. They just stared at each other for a few minutes before Sebastien averted his eyes.

"I don't belong here." He said softly. "I'm not a part of your team."

"Do you want to belong? Do you want to be a part of the team?" Dustin asked.

"Who doesn't want to belong?" Sebastien replied. "I mean...normally I wouldn't care about fitting in but...my whole world has been turned upside down. I have no one I know left to talk to."

Dustin felt bad for the younger boy as he heard the unspoken statement. "Believe it or not Sebastien, you're not alone. With the exception of Hunter you can talk to any of us about anything. We're here for you."

"You guys don't need me." Sebastien replied. "I just throw a wrench into your teamwork."

"We're just not used to your fighting style yet dude. Give us a little while." Dustin said with a big smile.

"Oh yeah and time is just something we have lots of right now what with evil beings trying to take over the universe." Sebastien said sarcastically.

"See, now here's a big problem with being a part of the team. You're so stand-offish dude, lighten up a little bit."

Instantly Sebastien's face filled with anger. "That Lothor goon took my parents, my school, and my girlfriend! I'll lighten up when he's floating in space dead and rotting! I don't need friends and I don't need a team!"

"That's ridiculous dude, you can't fight this battle alone." Dustin argued, a little shocked by Sebastien's anger. "We've all got to work together if we have any chance of winning. There's more at stake now than ever before and we can't let petty differences get in the way. I don't know how long you've been a ranger, but being a ranger means looking out for others before yourself and we've got a whole planet worth of others to look after."

At first Sebastien was angry and being scorned like a little child, especially by someone he didn't really know and was only a year older. But when Dustin's words sunk in he felt a little ashamed at his outburst. Dustin definitely had a point that he had to agree with. As much as he wanted to believe he could do it all by himself he knew that realistically he wouldn't stand a chance.

"You're right," Sebastien admitted. "It's just...this has all just been so much for me to deal with and I've been alone trying to cope with the loss of everyone I care about when I thought they were all dead. Now I find out that some goon is holding them prisoner and that someone worse has just taken his place. I'm just feeling overwhelmed."

"That's understandable dude, you've had a lot to absorb in the day and a half. Just don't think that you're alone, 'cause you're not alone anymore."

Sebastien smiled slightly. "Thanks Dustin. Maybe in a few days it'll feel that way."

"Just give us a chance, okay? You'll be alone as long as you make yourself alone."

"Thanks."

ZzZzZ

"_You're leaving me?" Kale asked._

"_I can't stay here anymore Kale."_

"_You can't leave me Zac, I need you here." Kale argued._

_Kale felt tears prickling at his eyes as Zac placed a hand on his shoulder. "Kale, you know that no matter how far away I go we're always connected. Twin thing, remember? I'll always be with you."_

"_How can you leave us when we still need you? Jadikai is still a major threat."_

"_I have to go. You may not be able to see what's happening, but I can. I'm not going to stay and be witness to our world falling apart because of internal strife." Zac said. "I'm not going to be treated like a freak because I have purple eyes and can move things with my mind. They're not placing restrictions on me."_

"_We can deal with it together." Kale argued._

"_Come with me Kale, we can go someplace where our differences won't matter." Zac urged. When Kale shook his head Zac's eyes grew dark. "That's right, you chose your boyfriend over me."_

"_It's not fair to make me choose."_

"_Life's not always fair Kale." Zac replied. His eyes softened again and he pulled his brother into a hug. "I'll keep in touch."_

"_You better." Kale said into his brother's neck. "Take care of yourself."_

"_You do the same. Good luck."_

_With that Kale watched as his twin brother transported into his Zord. The giant silver robot looked down at Kale one last time before the rockets fired and the Zord shot into space. Kale felt tears filling his eyes. He could already feel his brother getting further and further away and he knew there was nothing he could do to bring him back. He didn't even flinch as a hand landed on his shoulder and he turned to look into caring brown eyes._

"_He's gone Nick." Kale whispered._

"_It'll be okay. He'll be back." Nick said comfortingly._

_Kale allowed himself to be pulled into Nick's arms. "I have a bad feeling that he won't."_

"_I know it doesn't compare, but you'll always have me Kale. I promise."_

ZzZzZ

Hunter stopped as he started to enter the rec. room and found that the two Psychos were in there. He turned to leave again, but stopped when Niko called out to him. He hesitated between leaving anyway, so he just stood in the doorway waiting for Niko to continue. He felt Niko approach, but was surprised as he was yanked into the room and slammed against the wall. He was shocked to feel how much strength the smaller and younger man possessed.

"What's your problem Hunter? Are you too good to be in the room with us?" Niko demanded, his blue-green eyes flaring.

"Niko." Zadan admonished with one word. "If he's got a stick up his ass it's not our place to remove it."

"Hey!" Hunter was mildly insulted by both their comments. "I'm not stuck up and I don't think I'm too good to be in the room with you. I just don't like or trust either of you."

"You know, you're awful close minded for someone who has had their own experience with evil." Zadan mused. "I mean, you really have no right to judge us when you hunted your own brother while under a spell."

"Yeah, how does that make us different?" Niko demanded. He was getting really fed up with getting the cold shoulder from Hunter.

"How do you know about that?" Hunter demanded.

"Unlike you the rest of your teammates have forgiven us." Niko said. "We were talking with Dustin and Blake and it just came up."

"That's beside the point though." Zadan cut off whatever comments Hunter was going to make. "You don't know us and yet you judge us? Why?"

"You hurt Dustin." Hunter said, glaring at Zadan. He then shifted his anger to Niko. "And you hurt my brother."

Niko growled with frustration. "That wasn't us! What part of spell don't you understand? Didn't you hurt your brother when you were under a spell?"

"And I bet he still hasn't forgiven himself for it." Zadan said before Hunter could. "You can't forgive others if you can't forgive yourself."

Niko gave Hunter a bit of a shove before releasing him and stepping away. "One of these days you're going to realize we're on your side. I hope it's just not too late."

With that Niko stalked out of the room. Zadan and Hunter stared at one another for a moment, Zadan trying to make Hunter understand, and Hunter just glaring. When he realized how futile it was Zadan sighed, got up, and followed Niko out of the room. Hunter was left trying to soak in what he had just heard. He looked up in surprise as Blake entered the room through the swinging door leading into the kitchen. Blake gave him a probing look that Hunter couldn't avoid.

"You still haven't forgiven yourself? I thought we talked about this already." Blake said.

Hunter shifted his eyes. "It's not that easy."

"God Hunter, you know I don't hold anything against you and neither do the Winds. Why can't you just let it go?"

"Because I hunted you with a single mindedness that terrifies me. My only thought was finding you and then killing you. I wanted to kill you Blake and that...I just can't forget that or forgive myself for even thinking it." Hunter replied.

Blake shook his head. "That wasn't you bro, that was the steam you got blasted with. I know you would never think like that. You don't think you're capable of that, do you? You're not scared that the thought is planted somewhere in your mind, are you? 'Cause that's ridiculous."

"It's just...sometimes I'm scared of what I'm capable of and how easy it was for them to use me." Hunter admitted. "I'm a danger to everyone."

"You're no more a danger to anyone than the rest of us are." Blake said. "I know you can't forget what's happened, but you have to forgive yourself and move on. You have to forgive Niko and Zadan for the things they did when they weren't themselves, because we're all on the same side now."

Hunter smiled slightly, the heavy mood lifting. "I thought I was supposed to be the wise older brother."

"You're still older." Blake teased with a smile. He knew it would be a little longer before Hunter completely forgave himself, but at least he was on the path.

ZzZzZ

Kardan leaned against the doorway, watching with amusement as Sizvu tinkered around in his lab. _Didn't take him long._ He noted with interest that the two Gems of Power that that the rangers had managed to secure were in the lab, surrounded by a glowing force field. Whatever Sizvu was tinkering with was small and taking up all of his concentration. With a smirk the doctor slid into the room and easily crept up behind his teammate, whose back was to him.

"What're you fooling with?"

Sizvu jumped about a foot in the air and spun to glare at his older teammate. "Are you tying to give me a heart attack! Bugger off!"

"Oh, have a sense of humor kid. You're getting as bad as Lorku was." Kardan said.

"I'm not that bad." Sizvu said, face twisting at the comparison. "You just startled me is all."

"Yeah, well Harper thinks you're a crotchety old buzzard and our guests think you're an anti-social grouch."

"I am an anti-social grouch, but I resent being called a crotchety old buzzard. I'm not a bird and I'm not old." Sizvu said, his attention already being drawn back to whatever he was working on.

"You still haven't answered my original question."

"Huh?"

Kardan shook his head at his distracted teammate. "What're you working on?"

"Augmentors." The younger man replied. He looked up, cat-like eyes shinning. "That's all I'm tellin' ya. It's a surprise."

"You and your bloody surprises."

Sizvu smirked, humor filling his eyes. "You didn't complain the last time."

"Yes, well…good point." Kardan consented. "Just don't forget to rest, yeah?"

"Yes Da."

ZzZzZ

"Okay, so, let's talk to his out." Niko suggested as he and Amias sat by Kale's bed. They had both eaten and got a few hours of rest and were back to working with Kale. "We could get into Kale's subconscious mind if we tore in together, like Kalix did, but that would just do more damage. His mind is only letting us observe, but we need to be able to interact to pull him out."

"That's the problem summed up." Amias agreed with a sigh. "On a fundamental level his subconscious mind doesn't trust us enough to let us into the wall he built up. It's like...we can see over the top and into what's going on, but we can't actively participate."

"I sure felt like I was in the middle of it when Nyus nearly blasted me." Niko mumbled.

Amias either didn't hear or just didn't care to comment because he continued on. "What we need is someone his subconscious mind will trust that we can take in there and pull him back out."

"All of his teammates are dead and…wait a minute! He's still partially connected to them through their gems. Maybe we could reach through the connection and get one of them to help." Niko suggested.

Amias snorted. "You're suggesting we talk to the dead?"

"No, we can't even do that. What I'm saying is their minds are imprinted in those gems and it's likely that unless he lets someone else use those gems their minds and souls will stay connected to it. It's like...their bodies are long gone but they haven't moved on yet."

"Like ghosts?"

"God no." Niko was getting a little frustrated. "Okay, we both know that there are three parts of the mind. Conscious, which is the awareness of what's going on and reactions to them; subconscious, memories, instincts, in-depth things like that; and unconscious that deals with the bodies functions that we can't control."

"Everyone with psychic powers knows that." Amias said. "What's your point?"

"My point is that all they've lost is the unconscious mind. Both the conscious and subconscious are still connected to their gems somehow. Whether that's a default of their power or a result of how they died or maybe even a result of how Kale acquired all theirs powers, the point is they're still there. If anyone can pull him out of his subconscious it would be one of them."

Amias shook his head, amazed and proud at Niko's understanding of it all. "Okay Mr. Smarty Pants. How do we contact them? He's unmorphed otherwise we could just reach out to them through the gems."

"Okay, from what I understand from Kale's explanation of his powers they're internal, completely absorbed into his body from the gem. He doesn't have a morpher and could morph without his gem. He morphs by just concentrating on the power, basically using his mind. It's a mix of subconscious and conscious actions, but I think that his subconscious could trigger it."

"I think I get where you're going with this." Amias said, even more amazed. "Let's do it."

"It's a good thing we got some rest. We're going to need all the energy we have."

ZzZzZ

Shane sighed, sitting alone at one of the ships many nooks, looking out the big windows to the ocean outside. Tori was with Blake and Dustin was either busy trying to get through Sebastien's wall or hanging out with Hunter. He had no doubt that they didn't know how lonely he felt and if they had known they would have done something about it, but he had no desire to draw attention to it. He wasn't desperately in need of attention and he could deal with being alone. He was just feeling out of sorts and kind of wished he had someone to talk about it with.

"Why so glum, chum?"

Shane jumped, surprised by the voice, and turned his head enough to see Zadan watching him. "I'm not glum."

"Riiiiight." Zadan said, clearly not believing a word. "You just sit by yourself staring out a window all the time, right?"

"Not all the time." Shane replied shortly.

Zadan cocked his head thoughtfully. "Something's bothering you."

"It's nothing." Shane dismissed, looking back out into the depths of the ocean.

"Look, I know we may not have met under the best circumstances and you don't have a very good impression of me, but I was kind of hoping we could all be friends." Zadan said, surprising Shane a little bit with his openness. "If you need someone to talk to I've been told I listen really well."

Shane watched as Zadan turned and started to walk away before his brain caught up with what the older man was saying. This was his chance to get his feelings out and even if it wasn't to Dustin or Tori it would probably do him some good to talk. Then he came to another realization just as quickly. Zadan was probably feeling just as lonely as he was what with Niko working almost constantly with Amias trying to bring Kale back to consciousness. They could keep each other company.

"It's the water."

Zadan stopped and turned as he heard Shane speak. He raised an eyebrow. "What about the water?"

"I'm an air element." Shane said, as if that would explain everything. He only received another confused look. "Being underwater here makes me feel trapped and a little anxious."

"I get it." Zadan said, moving to take a seat across from Shane. "It's a lack of freedom, right?"

"More like a lack of connection to my element." Shane replied. "I mean, there's artificial air in here, but it's just not the same."

"I wonder why the Thunder Rangers aren't affected or Dustin for that matter." Zadan mused.

"Simple. The Thunders aren't actively connected to their element. They can generate their own lightning, but they only get truly connected to their element when there's a storm." Shane explained. "And Dustin isn't affected because this ship is resting on the ground, albeit under hundreds of feet of water, and he can still feel a connection to his power through the floors."

"But your element is the air and you're used to it being constantly around you, moving through you, and just being a part of you." Zadan said, fully understanding the problem. "Nothing short of being on the surface is going to help you."

Shane sighed. "Probably not, but it's not like it's something I can't deal with. I'll feel better the second I breathe in some real air."

"I never realized just how closely you ninjas were tied to your elements, especially you being air."

"Sometimes it's a blessing." Shane said.

Zadan opened his mouth to say something else when something beeped in his pocket. He closed his mouth as a confused look flitted over his face. He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out the remote to Kale's ship. A green light was flashing in sync with the beeping and Zadan had no clue what it meant. Obviously something was going on with the ship.

"What does that mean?" Shane asked.

Zadan shrugged. "No clue. I guess I'll have to go see what's up."

"Can I go with you?" Shane asked the idea of getting fresh air too good to pass up.

"Sure thing."

ZzZzZ

He blinked blearily, mind foggy and slow. Where was he? What had happened? Why did he feel trapped? Then he realized he was trapped. He was in a small space barely big enough to move in and no way to get out. There was some kind of vapor in there with him too. Was he being poisoned? He started to panic.

Suddenly there was a clicking sound to his left and all the vapor rushed out of the chamber. Light flooded in and he rolled to the left, dropping into a crouch as he landed. He barely had time to register anything before a hand was helping him stand. He lifted his eyes and though his mind was till foggy he recognized the young man in front of him.

"Shane?"

Shane felt his heart ready to burst with happiness. "Cam, man, you gave us quite a scare."

"What happened?" Cam asked, still trying to make sense of everything.

"You were seriously wounded in the ambush, remember?"

"No." Cam mumbled.

Then all too suddenly he did remember. He remembered the ambush and fighting hordes of monsters and foot soldiers. He remembered the Psycho Rangers arriving. Most of all he remembered Psycho Crimson using Hunter's gauntlet to stab him several times. Then everything got foggy from there, but he didn't remember the outcome of the battle.

"Is everyone okay?" Cam asked.

Shane shared a look with someone Cam couldn't see and the Samurai turned, surprised to see Zadan. Shane drew Cam's attention back to him. "Everyone survived."

"That's good." Cam said, relaxing a little.

Shane and Zadan shared another look. "Come on Cam. We have a lot of things to catch you up on."


	25. The New Psychos In Town

"My father got captured?" Cam repeated, the color draining from his face.

"We got back and Ninja Ops was totally destroyed." Dustin confirmed.

"Kalix planted a tracking device on me." Tori added.

Cam felt like the world had dropped out from under him. It was too much too soon. The only parent he had left was captured by the biggest menace to Earth ever. There were no more allies left on Kalix's ship to free his father. They were going to have to do it.

"We'll get him back Cam." Shane promised.

Cam wanted to ask how he planned to do that, but pressed his lips tighter together and stayed silent. He knew that it wasn't their fault; none of it could have been their fault. There was no way for them to know what was happening at Ninja Ops while they were away and if anyone had been there they might have been hurt. And it wasn't usually in his nature to be negative about anything. They would have to have faith in each other to make it through and hopefully get his father back.

ZzZzZ

Deder entered the command room and kneeled before Kalix. Kalix motioned him up and Deder stood stiffly before his master. "Master, I have done as you have ordered."

"Very good. Are they ready?" Kalix asked.

"Yes Master Kalix." Deder replied.

Kalix gave a toothy smile. "Good, I want to see them."

Deder bowed and left the room. Moments later he entered again with eight new Psycho Rangers following. The Psychos lined up in front of Kalix and kneeled. At the same time Red, Crimson, and Blue entered and moved to stand beside Kalix's chair. Red was unimpressed as he studied the new Psychos. Their armor was much the same, except the shoulder pads had spikes and the helmets had two horns on each side of the forehead curving toward the back of the head. Instead of silver outlining they had chrome and instead of the lightning bolts on the chest they had what looked like claw marks. Their forearms had dangerous looking spines and the same was on their ankles. But Red wasn't impressed. It took more than looks to make Psycho Rangers. Deder handed Kalix a data pad, which the raptor looked over.

"Hmm, very interesting." Kalix said. "Though I have to question why only two of the new Psychos are female. Do you have something against female warriors Deder?"

"No Master Kalix. Only two females survived."

Kalix nodded, reading over the stats.

**Psycho Black-2 Psycho Swords-Samous-long black hair, gray eyes-24**

**Psycho Silver-Psycho Blades-Sid-scruffy black hair, blue eyes-19**

**Psycho Gold-Psycho Sickles-Chris-buzzed brown hair, blue eyes-22**

**Psycho Green-2 Psycho Sabers-Kyle-long blond hair, brown eyes-23**

**Psycho Bronze-Psycho Pike-Garnes-bald, black eyes-30**

**Psycho Teal-Psycho Mace-Brandon-spiked red hair, green eyes-18**

**Psycho Gray-Psycho Whip-Dani-medium brown, brown eyes-21**

**Psycho Purple-Psycho Axes-Akki-short dark red hair, black eyes-20**

Kalix smirked at the very familiar name of Psycho Black. He looked at his three original Psychos and then looked at Psycho Black. "Take off your helmet Psycho Black."

Psycho Black didn't hesitate. He unsnapped the clasps that held his helmet on and pulled it off. Three jaws dropped in unison. Psycho Blue nearly fainted and her two teammates had to grab her to hold her up. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. The man they had once thought dead was standing before them as one of their new teammates.

"Samous? How? We thought--."

Samous cut Red off with a glare. "That I died when you all abandoned me? You wish."

"You two got in too deep, I ordered both of you to get out of there." Red replied. "It's not my fault that Niko abandoned you."

"Niko." Samous snarled. He lifted his helmet and snapped it back into place. His visor glowed. "That traitor is going to pay."

"That's what I like to hear." Kalix said. "First I want all of you to practice together."

"Yes Master Kalix." Eleven distorted voices replied.

"The Rangers aren't going to stand a chance."

ZzZzZ

Sebastien sighed as he watched how well the team sparred together. Cam made the perfect team with Hunter and Blake. He fit with them so much better. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that he didn't belong with the team. They were perfect without him. They didn't need to get used to his style, they needed him to stay out of the way.

"Hey, aren't you going to join in?" Dustin asked, as the first sparring match finished.

Sebastien sighed. "You don't need me getting in your way."

"Who says you get in the way?"

"No one has to." The younger boy replied. "You have the perfect number for a team. You don't need a seventh ranger to throw it off. I'll get in the way."

"That's just a pathetic excuse." Hunter spoke up. "Just admit you're scared."

Sebastien's anger flared. "I'm not scared!"

"Then get in here and show us what you've got kid."

"Don't call me kid." Sebastien snarled.

"Then come make me stop."

Blake put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Just remember he's on our side."

"Enough." All eyes turned to the morphed Green Ranger. "We don't have time for your petty fighting. We're going to have to work as a team if we're going to accomplish anything."

"Cam's right." Tori said. "We have to work together as a team." She shot Sebastien a meaningful look. "That means all of us."

Cam nodded. He looked up toward the control room of the simulator room they were currently in. "Can you run a monster simulation for us?"

"How many monsters do you want?" Harper asked.

"One tough one." Cam replied.

"You got it."

Cam turned to the newest member of the team. He could tell that Sebastien had great potential as a Ranger. He also didn't believe that the kid had a lack of self-confidence. He just needed to feel like he could be a part of the team. Cam had seen an Ice Ninja fight once and knew the fighting style was different than anything taught at the Wind or Thunder Ninja Academies. When not being stealthy Ice Ninja were extremely aggressive fighters, more so than any of the others, except the Fire Ninjas who were the most aggressive fighters of any of the academies. Sebastien's style could fit in with the team if he gave it a chance.

Sebastien raised his chin as Cam continued to look at him. "What?"

"Are you ready to be a part of the team?" Cam asked.

"You don't--."

"Don't give me that don't belong on the team crap." Cam said. "You're either going to make an effort to blend your fighting style with ours or you're going to try and take Kalix by yourself."

Sebastien clenched his jaw. "Let's do it."

Harper watched as the simulation started and a very familiar monster appeared. He had faced the monster himself, separated from Craggan, and had beat it by turning into his Basiacan form. He was immediately impressed by how well the team blended together and how quickly the original team absorbed Sebastien's style. It was amazing to watch the final formation of the team that would either save Earth or lose it to Kalix forever.

ZzZzZ

"We're ready Master Kalix." Psycho Red announced.

"I guess we'll find that out, won't we?" Kalix replied. He eyed the rejuvenated team of Psycho Rangers. "Psychos Red, Crimson, and Blue go down by yourselves. The rest of you will go when I tell you."

"Yes Master Kalix." The team said in unison.

The named Psychos transported to Earth. The rest of the team turned away from Kalix to watch on the big view screen. Psycho Silver leaned close to Psycho Gold and spoke in soft tones. At the same time Psycho Green leaned closer to Psycho Black.

"Red's not fit to be our leader."

Psycho Black growled deeply. "I'm your leader and don't forget it."

"The other three aren't going to follow you."

"They don't have to." _Pretend to follow Red's lead, I'll figure out how to get him out of my way._

_Yes sir._

"Let's see what our out-of-date teammates can do."

ZzZzZ

"Rangers, the Psychos are back." Kardan announced over the intercom system.

Shane glanced at Cam. "Ready to get back out there?"

"Oh I'm ready." Cam replied. He glanced over his shoulder at Sebastien. "Ready to be a part of the team?"

Sebastien glanced around at the older rangers. "I'm ready to try."

With that the team transported to the coordinates Kardan gave them. The three Psychos were calmly waiting for the Rangers to arrive. They weren't even the least bit intimidated by the fact that they were outnumbered. Crimson smirked behind his helmet as he saw the Green Ranger back in action.

"Well, Samurai Ranger, you didn't have enough the last time we saw each other?" Crimson taunted.

Cam didn't reply, but Hunter tensed to attack. Blake laid a calming hand on his brother's shoulder. The Psychos didn't wait. Each immediately tried to single out their ranger, but didn't work very well. They were too overwhelmed and were being quickly beaten back. Crimson was sent flying into a tree by a vicious kick from Cam. Blue was tackled to the ground hard and Red was furiously trying to fend off Shane and Sebastien at the same time.

Suddenly energy crackled from the sky, blasting the ground all around the rangers. Dirt and dust was thrown up in the air and when it started to settle the Ranger's worst nightmare was revealed. Eight more Psycho Rangers were strolling confidently toward the Rangers. The three downed Psychos quickly regrouped with their new teammates. The Rangers stared in disbelief at eleven Psycho Rangers. The Rangers regrouped and got ready for a real fight, but before anything happened Niko and Zadan arrived, instantly morphing and falling into formation with the rangers.

"Traitors."

"Give it a break; we've already been through this." Blue grumbled. "Let's get this done."

_Navy is mine. _Psycho Black snarled.

_Obsessed much? _Psycho Silver commented to Psycho Gold.

_You'd be if you were left to die by a trusted teammate. _Gold replied.

Silver snorted. _When did you learn that?_

_Unlike you, I'm capable of paying attention to something for more than a few seconds._

_Hey!_

"Psycho Rangers, attack!" Red ordered.

Psycho Black went straight for Navy. He wasted no time. There was no banter or taunting, Psycho Black got right down to business. Navy struggled to hold his ground against Black, but the stronger and taller Psycho was too much. Navy was sent sparking to the ground, holding his bruised ribs in agony. He cried out in pain when Black stepped on his chest, putting pressure on the injury.

Psycho Yellow heard the pain his teammate was in, but was too busy with Psycho Bronze and Psycho Purple. They worked well together. Bronze was slow but powerful and Purple was quick and fierce. Yellow could dodge Bronze all day, but Purple was much too quick and managed to slow Yellow down enough that Bronze could get into the fight. One hard punch knocked Yellow to the ground and he had to roll to avoid being stomped on by the big Psycho. As he got to his feet Purple kicked him in the chest knocking him back to the ground where he had to roll away again.

Psycho Crimson was used to Hunter and Blake's teamwork, but Psycho Teal was thrown off his game. The two Psycho Rangers simply couldn't work together. That gave the brothers enough of an edge to fare better than the rest of their teammates were. For half a moment it looked like the two Psychos would turn on each other instead, but managed to stay focused on their true targets.

Psycho Green and Cam circled each other not only looking for an opening but for weaknesses as well. Green charged first, ducking under Cam's defenses, and landing the first blow. Cam stumbled back and ducked the next attack, swinging a kick into the Psychos back. Green stumbled and fell to his knees, but rolled away from Cam's next attack, as he got back to his feet he grabbed Cam's leg and rolled, twisting the knee. Cam cried out in agony and flopped on the ground holding his knee. Psycho Green laughed, taking advantage of his opponents injury.

"You're supposed to be the team's new hope." Green taunted. "And now look at you, the first of the rangers to fall."

"I'm not dead yet." Cam snarled.

"Yet."

Cam flipped to his feet and managed to bite back any sounds of pain. He faked a leg sweep and when Green jumped he kicked the Psycho with all his strength. Green flew back into a tree, but he quickly recovered and was on the attack again. They were a perfect match for each other. Unlike the other Psychos who were better than their counterparts Psycho Green and Cam were a complete match, neither of them more skilled than the other. Cam quickly realized that stamina was going to be the deciding factor, the first to give into fatigue would be the one going down.

Dustin struggled against Psycho Gray. She was so much quicker than him and it was clear she was infinitely more skilled. Psycho Yellow had been a challenge, but Psycho Gray was a terrifying obstacle. She was relentless and she wasn't joking around. There was no taunting or tormenting, she was getting right to the beating him into the ground part. He tried to block her attacks, but she was brutal and efficient. She had a counter for every attack and a way to twist all of his counters against him.

Shane was getting more and more used to Psycho Red's tactics. Though Red had scanned him and learned all his moves and probably a lot more Shane was adapting. They were becoming more of a match for each other rather than Red being an unbeatable foe.

Unlike Red and Crimson, who were having more and more problem with their counterparts, Psycho Blue was still fully capable of trouncing Tori. Tori was struggling to keep up with her faster and stronger opponent. Nothing she did made a difference against her more skilled adversary.

Sebastien shifted around trying to keep an eye on the two Psychos circling him. Psycho Silver and Psycho Gold had specifically targeted him. They were circling him like two hungry wolves. There was something familiar about them. The way they moved and held themselves was familiar. He could feel something drawing him to them, a feeling that he couldn't understand. Then they attacked and he didn't have time to think about it. Psycho Silver came at him from behind, but he ducked under the tackle and spun away from Psycho Gold's kick. With them both in front of him he could keep a better eye on them both. When they attacked again it was aggressive and relentless

Things were starting to look really bad for the rangers when Shane managed to knock Red flying, right into Psycho Black. Black kicked Niko to the ground and then turned to his teammate. He yanked Red up by his neck and tossed him backward. Red got to his feet and the fight was forgotten. Blue and Crimson got behind Red while the rest of the new Psychos got behind Psycho Black.

"I'm the leader, you treat me with respect." Psycho Red snarled.

"Then stay out of my way and we won't have problems." Psycho Black replied, his voice a deep growl.

Red growled, the distorted sound menacing to the rangers, but Black wasn't impressed. "I'm the leader, I can do whatever I want."

"You," Black grabbed Red by the throat. "Stay. Out. Of. My. WAY!"

"Hey!" Crimson leapt forward to help his teammate, but Psycho Green smacked him to the ground.

"Down dog." Green sneered.

Psycho Gray rolled her eyes and glanced at Purple. "I'm tired of this testosterone show, aren't you?"

"Yup, I'm done with this." Purple replied. "Hungry?"

"You bet."

With that the two Psychos transported away. The Rangers managed to regroup somewhat while Yellow transported away with the badly battered Navy. The Rangers were torn between watching the new Psychos fight with the old ones or transporting away. They were transfixed by what was going on and any chance to learn something about the new enemies would be a good thing. But while they watched the Psychos, one of the Psychos watched them.

_Now is my chance._

In a flash Psycho Silver zipped up behind Sebastien. He wrapped one arm around the boy's neck and yanked back hard. Blades swished out of the wrist of his free gauntlet and in one swift move his stabbed Sebastien through the back. Sebastien gave a little grunt of surprise but otherwise didn't make a sound as he went limp in Silver's grasp. Silver made a move to stab him again but he was struck by crimson lightning that sent him tumbling away. That snapped the rest of the rangers into action and the Psychos suddenly seemed to remember they were in the middle of a battle, but before they could do anything they were all transported away.

Dustin was a Sebastien's side in a flash. He knelt beside the fallen white ranger and gently lifted the boy into his arms. Uncharacteristically quiet, Dustin transported away without a word. The other rangers shared looks, completely hidden by their helmets, before transporting after him.

ZzZzZ

"IDIOTS!" Kalix roared, his fury nearly shaking the room. "You had the Rangers right where you wanted them and you turned on each other instead! I should make you sorry you were ever born, but I need you all at full strength. However, if I ever, EVER, see that happen again you ALL will be severely punished no matter who is involved. Do you understand me!"

"Yes Master Kalix." The scolded Psychos replied.

"Good." Kalix said. He then shifted his attention to Psycho Silver. "Now_ you_ I am very impressed with. You took advantage of the distraction your teammates created and took that new little pest out of the picture for a while. Excellent job."

"I aimed to kill, Master Kalix. I failed." Psycho Silver replied, his tone cold and chilling.

"You did better than the rest of these squabbling morons." Kalix said with a smile of approval. "You may go rest and relax." He then shifted his gaze to the rest of the team. "The rest of you will go practice and you will do so until I'm satisfied you're working as a team."

The Psychos all turned to leave, but Silver stopped a turned back. "Master?"

"Yes Psycho Silver?"

"Master, Psycho Gold did not participate in the argument, may he be allowed to join me?"

Kalix rolled his eyes. "Just be quiet. I don't want to hear you two this time."

"Yes Master Kalix." The two metallic Psychos said, both blushing slightly under their helmets.

The Psychos left the room and Kalix sighed. He knew he was beginning to play a dangerous game. So many Psychos was a dangerous thing. Their power far outweighed his own. If they figured that out he was going to be in trouble. He knew his fear tactic could only work so long. He was going to have to figure something else out.


	26. The Awakening

AN: Thank you garnetred for being the only one to take the time and review. Your feedback meansa lot to me. Only getting one review is a little discouraging, but it'll never stop me from posting so don't worry about that.

ZzZzZ

Kardan sighed as he looked over his full infirmary; it was full to capacity. Every Ranger had been hurt in some way; only Shane, Hunter, and Blake had escaped injury. Tori just had a few minor cuts from her tangle with Psycho Blue's cutlass. Niko and Zadan were both nursing bruised and cracked ribs, but Niko was also dealing with a concussion. Cam was lucky that no serious damage had been done to his knee, but it was bad enough Kardan was going to keep him off of it for a few days, if that was at all possible. Dustin had received a fairly serious concussion and had passed out soon after bringing Sebastien to the ship.

At the thought of Sebastien the doctor looked toward the ICU ward where Sebastien lay still unconscious. They were all lucky that Dustin had reacted quickly and gotten Sebastien back to the ship. Kardan had operated immediately and he was sure the young boy would pull through. Kardan sighed again, shaking his head. Sebastien was too young to be a ranger, going through the hell that it could be. He had thought that seventeen had been too young for Harper to be a ranger

"They're just kids." Kardan murmured.

"You said the same thing about me."

Kardan jerked slightly and glanced over his shoulder at his younger teammate. "It's still true. You were too young when you became a ranger."

"Or you were too old." Harper replied with a smirk.

"Here now, have respect for your elders."

Harper smirked, but it faded as he looked around the room. Not everyone had been hurt, but he had ordered bed rest for all of them. "They took quite a beating today."

"It's only going to get worse, you know that."

"Do you think they do?" Harper asked.

"I hope so, I don't want to be the one to break that to them." Kardan replied, looking over the broken and bruised team.

"Hopefully, they won't suffer the losses we did."

Kardan winced as memories of their final battle flashed in his mind. Lorku with a sword through his chest. Pydin smashed under tons of ruble as their earth bound base was destroyed. Ekkan shot numerous times. Their losses had been great, too great. He still found it hard to come to terms with the deaths of some of his best friends. He just thanked his lucky stars that Sizvu had survived it all and was still with him.

"What are we going to do Kardan? Those new Psycho Rangers are more powerful than the first ones and way more dangerous." Harper said. "Did you see how they stuck together? They're a real team and they're a very real threat."

Kardan sighed and shook his head. "I don't know lad. I don't know that there's anything we can do to help. Just patch them up and pat them on their backs."

"And pray for their safety."

"Aye, that too."

Hunter listened as the two older rangers left the infirmary. Listening to them talk gave him doubts. Crimson, Red, and Blue still posed a huge threat and now they had more Psycho Rangers to deal with. Not to mention that Kalix had millions of foot soldiers at his beck and call and probably just as many monsters. It almost made Hunter wish that Kalix would just get it over with and attack with his full force, but at the same time it frightened him. He wasn't so sure anymore that they could win. Seven rangers against an army of unimaginable number and strength? What kind of chance did they stand against odds like that? If Kalix invaded Earth the team would be stretched thin trying to protect the whole place and they were at their strongest only when they were all together.

"Hunter?"

Cracking one exhausted eye open he found his brother awake and staring back at him. "Yeah?"

"Do you think we can win?"

Hunter sighed inwardly. How was he supposed to reassure Blake when he wasn't sure himself? "I think anything is possible."

"Everyone else talks like we're on a downward spiral to defeat." Blake said. "I want to believe we can win, but..."

Now was a time Hunter wished he wasn't the big brother. As the older brother it was his job to reassure and encourage Blake, but the situation was a difficult one. He didn't want to lie and tell Blake that everything would be okay, but he also didn't want to scare him with talks of doom and gloom. In the end he could only settle on one response.

"I don't know anymore Blake. I just don't know."

ZzZzZ

"Tyson's determined."

"Yeah, but he's facing an opponent way more powerful than him."

"I think he's more powerful than you think. He'll beat Tala, just you wait and see."

"And next you're going to tell me Max is worthwhile."

"You're underestimating everyone. That's always been your biggest problem."

"Oh my god you two are fighting over a cartoon show!" Psycho Green exclaimed. "Give it a rest!"

"We're not fighting." Psycho Gold said

"We're having a friendly discussion." Psycho Silver added. "And it's not just a cartoon show. It's anime and there's a difference."

"Some anime." Psycho Gray said. "But this is just a children's anime show. There's no blood or real danger. If you want a real anime watch The Guyver or Saint Seiya, something with some real weight."

"Hey!" The two metallic Psycho Rangers exclaimed.

"Oh give me a break." Psycho Teal sneered. "A cartoon is a cartoon and only kids watch cartoons."

"Oh yeah? I've got the first volume of The Guyver in my room. Let's watch it and we'll see how much of a kid's show you think it is." Psycho Gray said. "In fact, you two should watch it too and see what real anime is about."

Psycho Gold snorted. "I think you're missing the point of us watching this."

"We live and breathe violence and death every day." Psycho Silver continued.

"So, this lightweight anime is a bit of a break from it."

"Pussies."

"Hey!"

"Would all of you just shut up." Psycho Bronze snarled. "You kids are giving me a headache."

"Then go somewhere else old man." Gray replied.

The whole room froze as the grumpy Bronze turned an ice cold glare, hidden by his helmet of course, at the daring Psycho Gray. His visor flashed, expressing his annoyance, but Psycho Gray showed no physical reaction. After a moment Bronze grunted, got up and left the room while grumbling something about kids having no respect. The rest of the younger Psychos laughed, knowing that the older Psycho was just naturally grumpy. Everyone went back to what they were doing as they all waited for orders for their next move.

ZzZzZ

"He's not strong enough."

"With this new threat we're going to need all the rangers we can get. I need Niko to help me get Kale back." Amias argued. "It's possible Kale's the most powerful ranger we have on our side and we need him back."

Kardan sighed. "Psycho Black gave the lad a terrible beating. I'm afraid of letting him do anything that might weaken him further."

"No choice doc. Things are going to get desperate around here." Amias argued.

"I can't let him do it."

"Why don't you ask him what he wants to do?"

"No, I--."

"Doc."

Kardan and Amias both turned to see Niko watching them with half lidded eyes. His head was still wrapped in bandages as was his chest, but he was looking better. His Psycho powers were healing him quickly.

"I'm strong enough." Niko said. "Beside, Amias is right. We're going to need Kale."

"Are you sure lad? We need you just as much." Kardan replied.

Niko smiled slightly. "You worry too much Doc. I'm tougher than I look."

"Alright, but the moment you feel tired I want you to stop and rest."

"Yes sir." Niko said with a playful grin.

Amias helped his friend over to where Kale still lay completely still. The two sat together on either side of Kale's bed and took his hands in theirs. Neither said a word to each other as they closed their eyes and reached out to Kale's mind.

_Together they searched his mind for the key to his morphing power, but there were walls Kalix hadn't managed to destroy, two very strong and invincible walls. One they knew held Kale's subconscious and conscious mind, but the other was different. A bright glow issued from behind it, illuminating the otherwise dark, devastated mind._

"_That's got to be the link to his ranger power." Niko said, glancing over at Amias as they took physical form in Kale's mind. "I don't think we have a chance of breaking that wall."_

"_That's protected by all his ranger power, we don't have enough psychic power between us for that." Amias agreed. "We need him to trigger it."_

"_I don't know if you've forgotten, but his conscious mind is behind that wall and we can't break it either."_

"_You sound like you're giving up."_

_Niko shot a glare at his friend. "I don't give up. There's got to be something we can do."_

_Amias opened his mouth to reply, but never got a chance. Light suddenly flooded the dark expanse of Kale's mind and both boys had to cover their eyes. When it faded enough for them to see they were surprised to find the wall with the light behind it had opened up. The two shared a look before simultaneously heading through the opening. They expected the light to get brighter inside, but they were again surprised when the light dimmed and they found themselves in a room that looked somewhat like a living room of some sort. To their further surprise, they weren't alone._

ZzZzZ

"Now is the time to strike Master Kalix." Deder said.

"So it would seem." Kalix leaned back in his chair. He glanced up at the cage where a very special prisoner hung. "I can't wait to see the look on your face when my Psycho Rangers crush your pathetic students once and for all. You should pray for mercy for them, not that it will be granted."

"It is for you that I would pray for mercy, if I believed you deserved it." Sensei Watanabe replied.

Kalix smirked. "I could reach out and squeeze the life out of you and yet you insist that your Rangers can beat my Psycho Rangers? You should be praising me and begging for your life, not insulting me and my warriors."

"What I say will not change what you have planned for me." Sensei replied. "And it will not change the outcome of this war."

"At least you take this seriously, rat. This _is_ a war - one that I don't plan on losing." Kalix replied. He shifted his attention to his top general. "Gather all the Psycho Rangers, the Knights of Destruction, and as many foot soldiers that you can. I don't want the rangers walking away from this one."

"Yes Master Kalix, it will be done."

Kalix smirked at his captive. "Let's see your Rangers survive this one."

ZzZzZ

Harper was relaxing, kicked back in one of the bridge chairs, when the alarms blared. He tipped backwards, smacking his head on the floor with a thump. Growling slightly the young man got back to his feet and looked at the main screen. All the color drained from his face. It was an attack force unlike anything Kalix had thrown at the Earth based rangers yet. He leapt toward the communication station and punched the ship wide intercom button.

"All available Rangers report to the bridge. We've got trouble."

Moments later everyone from the infirmary was in the room, except Sebastien, Niko, and Amias. Kardan was scolding several of the rangers, but they were just blowing him off. All of them were surprised by the attack force they saw on the screen. There were at least eighty foot soldiers combined with the three Knights of Destruction and eleven Psycho Rangers. It was too much, way more than they could handle.

"We're going to have to go out there on this one." Harper said, glancing over his shoulder at Kardan. "It's time for the Battle Rangers to fight again."

"I'm not sure I'm ready for this again." Kardan mumbled.

Harper snorted. "Then stay here. Your pacifist ways didn't help on Banar and it won't help here."

"That's uncalled for." Sizvu snapped.

"I'm just saying he needs to learn when to fight and when not to." Harper said, sending a glare at his older teammate.

"This coming from someone from a warmongering race."

"Enough!" Kardan barked. "There are only three of us and this team is still falling apart." He sighed and shook his head. "There's no time for this. All three of us are going out there and fighting." He glanced around at the rest of the rangers, intensely worried about them all. "Everyone be careful out there. Dustin, try not to take any hits to the head and Cam, watch your knee."

"Will do Doc." Dustin said.

"Everyone ready?" Shane asked. At everyone's confirmations he smiled grimly. "Let's do this."

"Ninja Storm, Ranger form, HA!"

"Thunder Storm, Ranger form, HA!"

"Samurai Storm, Ranger form, HA!"

"Power Rangers, Battle ready!"

Zadan hesitated. He wasn't looking forward to getting his ass handed to him again. Not only that it had been a long time since he'd had a serious fight without Niko by his side. He didn't have any other teammates out there. There was no one to watch his back; if they even could in the mess they were about to jump into. For someone used to having a teammate to watch his back the thought of fighting on his own for the first time in a long time was a little overwhelming.

"Zadan?" Zadan looked over at Dustin as he heard his name. "Aren't you coming?"

"Of course." Zadan replied instantly. _I can do this. I'm not dependent on anyone._ Without another thought he morphed.

There was silence in the bridge for a moment as all the rangers looked around at each other. Their thoughts went out to one another, but no words were exchanged. Everyone knew this battle marked a dangerous turn in Kalix's attack style. He was getting more serious. He was almost done playing. They shared another moment of silence together before they transported to the battle.

ZzZzZ

_Amias tensed as a tall boy with sandy blond hair and soft, warm brown eyes approached. He was broad and muscular, but even so he wasn't threatening or imposing. The smile on his face was friendly and warm and he simply exuded a sense of welcome. The boy stopped in front of Amias and stood smiling down at him._

"_Welcome, Amias, Niko." The boy said his voice gentle and friendly. "I'm Nick."_

"_Where are we?" Niko asked, not even fazed that Nick knew who he was._

_Nick smiled. "You're where no one has gone before."_

"_That's a pretty vague answer." Amias and Niko looked around as one of the other occupants of the room spoke up. It was one of the two females. She had dark black hair and sparkling blue eyes. "I'm Kora and to answer your question more precisely, you're in Kale's soul."_

"_What!" The two psychic's exclaimed. "How's that possible?"_

"_We let you in." Nick replied. "We let you in because it's only through one of you that we can help Kale."_

"_Again." A young man with wild red hair and bright green eyes said._

"_Easy Max." Kora scolded._

"_Hey, this'll be the...I lost track of how many times we've helped him since our deaths."_

"_Wait a minute." Niko spoke up, finally catching up with the conversation. "We're in Kale's soul?"_

"_Why do you sound so surprised? Don't you believe in souls?" Nick asked._

"_But that's not a part of the mind."_

_The occupants of the room laughed and it was a tall, lean young man with long black hair and silver-green eyes that replied. "Of course it is. The soul is the very basis of your being. It's a part of your mind and your body. It's where Kale's power resides and why we're still connected to him."_

"_Rez is right." Max said. "We'll be connected to him until the day he dies and even then a little piece of us will always be attached to the power."_

"_Wow." Amias murmured, totally blown away by what he was learning. "So, we're in his soul, but this isn't where he's hiding. How are we supposed to help him now?"_

"_With the strength of your two minds one of us can journey into that pretty little wall he's hiding behind and drag him out kicking and screaming." Kora replied._

"_I'll go." Nick and another boy with short black hair and piercing green eyes volunteered at the same time._

"_Not again. We already settled this fight, Valin." Kora scolded. "Nick is going."_

"_But I want to help damnit, he's my best friend." Valin grumbled childishly._

"_Valin." Rez barked and instantly the argument was dropped. "There's no time for petty arguing. Niko and Amias must take Nick to help Kale immediately."_

_Niko and Amias shared a look, neither one sure of what they were supposed to do. They looked back at Nick for an explanation. The taller man grinned._

"_Let me guess, no idea how we're going to do this?"_

"_Nope." The two said at the same time._

"_It's real easy, first we'll--."_

"_Nick!" The room exclaimed at the same time._

"_I was just trying to--."_

"_GO!"_

_Nick stuck his tongue out at his teammates. "You guys suck."_

ZzZzZ

Hunter grunted as he was knocked onto his back, but quickly rolled backwards as Crimson brought his shield down where he'd been. In a fluid motion he rolled to his feet while pulling his staff. He swung at Crimson's head, but the Psycho easily blocked it with his shield and kicked Hunter's chest sending the Crimson Ranger tumbling backwards. Crimson followed, swinging his shield at Hunter's head, but the ranger managed to use the tumbling to get to his feet and easily dodged.

"Why don't you just give up Crimson Ranger? You'll never have what it takes to beat me." Crimson sneered.

"Rangers don't give up." Hunter snarled in reply.

"No, but you do die."

"Not by your hand."

Crimson laughed. "We'll see about that."

"You've been saying that for weeks now." Hunter taunted. "You've yet to deliver."

"I can change that!" Crimson growled, his good mood gone. "For once you don't have your brother to rely on. It's just you and me, no teammates or brothers."

"Fine with me. Bring it on."

Psycho Silver and Psycho Gold stood watching the battle. Gold wanted to jump in and fight even though their target wasn't there, but Silver was just bored. He knew that Sebastien wasn't dead and he wanted to finish what he started. Until he was told to do otherwise he was just going to watch and wait and hope that his prey would show up.

Dustin and Shane managed to get back to back at first, but that had quickly gotten ruined by too many foot soldiers and two determined Psycho Rangers. Psycho Red could feel his leadership slipping. Psycho Blue and Psycho Crimson were loyal to him, but he could just feel the defiance from the other Psychos. They weren't going to follow him for long unless he proved his worth as a leader. That meant devastating the Red Ranger.

All the Rangers were struggling. There were too many enemies. When they could throw off a few foot soldiers they would end up with a Psycho Ranger or Knight of Destruction after them. Tori went down unconscious when Psycho Green side stepped Cam's kick and it hit her instead. Cam moved to check on her, but was assaulted by both Psycho Rangers. He struggled to keep up with them both while not showing the weakness in his knee. A kick to his back caused him to stumble right into Green's grasp. Green grabbed him by his throat and lifted him off his feet.

"For the Sensei's son you're not much of a fighter, Cam." Psycho Green taunted. "Maybe you should stick with computers, where you belong."

Cam struggled to get out of his enemy's grasp, but Psycho Green was too strong and he wasn't letting go. Suddenly Green grunted and stumbled forward, dropping Cam as he did. The Psycho Ranger grabbed the back of his head and turned to see who had attacked him, but all he found was the Lion Hammer laying innocently on the ground. Psycho Green smirked and reached down and picked up the weapon. He then lunged forward and caught Dustin with his back turned and bashed the Yellow Ranger's head as hard as he could. Dustin crumpled instantly and it was Cam's quick lunge forward that saved Dustin's life. The Samurai grabbed the hammer and yanked backwards, offsetting Green's balance. Keeping a hold of the hammer he swiveled around and caught Green with a kick to the chest that knocked Green on his back. He then quickly transported both Dustin and Tori out of the fight.

Each of the three Battle Rangers was dealing with one of the Knights of Destruction, trying to keep them out of the other Rangers' hair. Harper tried to use his shoulder mounted rocket launcher, but Mesaus smacked the rocket to the side and it destroyed a house instead. Sizvu and Kardan were having similar problems and instead struggled to find each other and fight their opponents using teamwork.

Psycho Yellow was not fairing well against Psycho Bronze and Psycho Purple. He was sure his leg was broken in two places from one of Bronze's attacks, but he had to stay on his feet. He was biting back screams of pain with every move he made and there was no way to hide the injury. Psycho Bronze focused on keeping Yellow ducking things while Purple kept kicking and attacking his broken leg. Yellow struggled to get out of their range, but they followed, ruthlessly attacking him.

_Niko I need you! _Yellow screamed mentally. _NIKO!_

ZzZzZ

_NIKO!_

_Niko jerked as the mental yell resonated through his mind and into Kale's. He recognized the voice instantly. It was Zadan. His teammate was in trouble and judging by the strain in his voice he was in pain too. It distracted him and he was almost pulled back into his own mind, but he knew he had to stay and finish the job._

"_Go Niko." Amias said. "Nick and I can finish this."_

"_Are you sure?" Niko asked._

"_Go, your teammate is just as important as Kale is." Nick said. "Don't forget that."_

"_I won't. Thanks guys." Niko said. He then shimmered out of sight as he pulled his mind back._

_Amias glanced at Nick. "Let's do this quickly. I have a feeling Kale is really needed right now."_

ZzZzZ

Blake grunted as Psycho Teal's mace knocked him forward. He spun and got his staff up just in time to deflect a crushing blow. Teal followed viciously, unrelenting and without mercy. He used a mighty swing to knock Blake's staff away and then swung a death blow at the Navy Ranger's head. Blake ducked, but Teal had anticipated and swung the mace swiftly back the other way. The spiked head caught Blake just under the chin and lifted him off his feet a few inches before he fell flat on his back. Teal laughed and moved in for the kill when he was attacked by a streak of Navy. As he hit the ground the streak materialized into Psycho Navy, who stood protectively in front of the one he had once sworn to kill.

"Traitor." Teal hissed.

Navy rolled his eyes. "Oh please, I've already been through this with my ex-teammates. You think I give a rat's ass if you think I'm a traitor?"

"Die!" Teal roared as he lunged forward.

Navy ducked Teal's wild swing and drove the end of his quarterstaff into Teal's chest. He smacked the Psycho upside the head with the quarterstaff and did a leg sweep, taking the Teal to the ground. He then stood up quickly and stepped down on Teal's throat. The metal neck guard shrieked angrily and Teal gasped, looking up into Navy's glowing visor.

"You'll pay for this." Teal vowed.

"I doubt it." Navy retorted with a roll of his eyes. "Run along little dog, go back to your Master's heel."

Teal growled defiantly, but transported away just the same. Navy helped Blake to his feet and then quickly streaked off to help Yellow. Navy was only a few feet from Yellow when a black streak struck him from the side. In the time it took him to blink twice he found himself on the ground dazed with a boot on his chest pushing down. He gasped, looking up into Psycho Black's helmet. He couldn't help but wonder why Psycho Black was targeting him.

ZzZzZ

_Kale cried out in anguish as he watched Shadow Rogue stab Kora through the heart. The Red Ranger tried to stand, but the life drained out of her quickly. Valin and Max attacked in unison, trying to catch Shadow Rogue off guard, but the more experienced and much more powerful Rogue spun and caught them both by the throat. Kale yelled, trying to beg for their lives, but Shadow Rogue snapped both their necks with ease. Kale screamed in fury, the gem on his forehead beginning to glow, and lunged into the fight. Shadow Rogue turned and effortlessly smacked him into the ground, stepping down with amazing power. Kale screamed in agony as slowly the bones in his spine shifted and cracked under the pressure._

"_Kale!"_

_Kale looked up at the sound of his name and found Nick in all his white glory charging into the battle. The white ranger sprang into the air and swung his scythe down at Shadow Rogue's head. Shadow Rogue snickered and leaned back just enough for the blade to miss. He then grabbed the shaft of the scythe and swung Nick around into a building with vicious force. Kale felt his throat getting hoarse from screaming as the Shadow Rogue continued to step down harder and harder. Nick got to his feet quickly and lunged back into the fight. Shadow Rogue laughed at his effort and kicked Nick with the foot that wasn't on Kale's back, putting all his weight on the thrashing black ranger for just a second. As Nick stumbled back Shadow Rogue leant down and snatched Kale's mace off the ground. Kale tried to call out a warning, but his voice was broken and cracked. The Rogue swung the mace with all the strength he had, shattering Nick's helmet with one blow. He then brought the mace back for another hit, crushing the white ranger's skull with ease._

"_NICK! NOOO!"_

"_**Kale, Kale it's not rea**l."_

"_NIIIIICK!"_

"_**It's over Kale, let it go. There's nothing you could have done.**"_

"_You'll pay Shadow Rogue! You'll pay you bastard!"_

"_Tough talk from a ranger all alone." Shadow Rogue taunted. "Tell you what. I'm going to leave you here like this with a horribly broken back and no one to help you. I'm going to leave you here to lay and stare at your dead friends and think about how you failed them. You can ponder that until you die."_

"_**It's not true Kale. You couldn't have done anything to save us. You didn't fail us Kale, we failed you."**_

"_Nick?"_

"_**This is in the past Kale, leave it there. Don't torture yourself anymore." **Nick said, walking into sight. "**It's time you move on and live in the present. Go back to your new friends Kale. Go back where you belong."**_

_"I don't belong out there. I couldn't save you guys and I can't save them. Kalix is too powerful, he's too much. He ripped my mind apart."_

"_**You can fix what he did to your mind Kale. We've had practice." **Nick replied. **"As for saving them, no, you alone can't save them. But they don't need saving Kale, they just need your support. Go back and fight beside them. It's almost over now."**_

_"Nick--."_

"_**Kale, I speak for everyone else when I say we don't blame you. We've been trying to tell you that for over three hundred years. It's time you accept that and give these Rangers the help they need." **Nick insisted. He walked closer to his friend, the scene of death and gore around them fading as he neared. He leaned down and pulled Kale to his feet, Kale's back not broken at all. **"Get up and be a Ranger, Kale. They need you just a little while longer."**_

_"Are you going to leave me again?" Kale asked, his voice small and afraid._

_Nick smiled, taking Kale in his arms. "**I'll be with you forever Kale, in life and death. I made that promise to you and I'm going to keep it."**_

_"I love you. I never said it, but I love you."_

"_**You never had to Kale, I always knew." **Nick replied. He leaned down and gently kissed Kale. **"We'll be together again, I promise. Go back Kale, go back and make me proud."**_

"_Yes, of course I will. I'll make you proud Nick, I promise." Kale said._

"_**I know."**_

_With that Nick faded away, but Kale knew he wasn't gone. With a deep breath and a whole new batch of courage Kale surged out of the barrier he had set up in his mind. It was time for him to show Kalix what a real Ranger was all about._

ZzZzZ

Hunter yelped softly as Crimson's shield-bash connected with his ribs and sent him flying onto his back. His staff was out of reach and he knew he didn't have the time to get his Crimson Blaster. Crimson was standing over him ready to deliver the final blow. Suddenly there was a flash of crimson light and energy surged through Hunter. His pain was forgotten and he easily got to his feet. He glanced at his hand and was only slightly surprised to find the Tiger Gauntlet there. One of its eyes swiveled to look at him and then winked.

"Ah, so you called your fancy glove back. No matter, it won't save you." Crimson snarled.

He raised his shield for another bash, but was surprised to find the tiger's mouth suddenly at his gut. He only had time to gasp before blazing energy ripped through his armor and sent him flying. Crimson landed with a thump and lay perfectly still. Hunter stared at where his enemy had fallen. On one level he hoped Crimson was down for good, but on another level that was too close to murder for his comfort. He didn't waste anymore time, he began using the gauntlet to help the others.

Psycho Gold realized the threat Hunter suddenly posed and decided enough was enough. He was done waiting to get involved. With a smirk the pulled both his sickles and streaked behind an unsuspecting Hunter. He raised both the sickles and prepared to bury them in Hunter's back. He jerked both his arms down to make his move, but they stayed where they were. He jerked again and then suddenly realized there was some force holding them in place. Gold looked over his shoulder and gasped in surprise right before a fist connected with is face and he was knocked unconscious.

Psycho Silver stared at the new combatant. He'd heard Kalix talk about the Knight Ranger. He'd been shown pictures of the Knight Ranger and read files on him. Nothing compared to this, to what he was seeing. The Knight Ranger was glowing, the gems on his chest, the one on his forehead, and his whole body. Everything was glowing. He could feel the power radiating from the Ranger. It didn't take a genius to realize the battle was lost and he transported himself and Gold back to the base.

The whole battle stopped. Everyone could feel the new power on the battlefield. The Rangers were all overjoyed to see Kale, but he didn't pay attention them. His body was relaxed, but only the lizarians were fooled into believing his guard was down. The reptiles attacked, but not a one of them got close enough to hit him. All of them disintegrated as soon as they got close to the glow his body was putting off.

"This carnage stops now." Kale boomed, his voice more powerful than ever before. "Retreat or be destroyed."

"Psycho Rangers!" Psycho Black called out. Those that were still on Earth joined him instantly. "Let's show this fool what we think of that."

The Psycho Rangers charged. Kale shook his head, but knew that they wouldn't just leave. He had hoped that he wouldn't be required to show his true power. It was a false hope. He inwardly prayed that it would be enough to get rid of the present Psycho Rangers for good. With an almighty roar that nearly shook the ground he released the power he had been building up and the world exploded.


	27. What Goes Around Comes Around

AN: Thanks to my reviewers. A warning though, I will probably put at least five days between chapters most of the time it'll be more like a week. Of course, enough kind words would persuade me to post faster.

**the real vampire**-Don't know what Sharpe books you are referring to. Actually, in all honesty I heard the name on Andromeda. Haven't seen much of the show though, so he's not really based on anyone, just has the name.

**lightning boltz-**Glad you like the adventure into Kale's soul. I have to say I was kind of surprised the first time one of his teammates talked to him. It kind of jumped out of nowhere, but now it's grown into something bigger. I'm pretty pleased with it.

And now for the chapter. Enjoy!

ZzZzZ

The world was bright white for several long minutes and when the light finally faded Kale could vaguely see everyone around him laid out unconscious and demorphed. All the dedians and lizarians were gone and so were the Knights of Destruction. He blinked a few times as the world went into slow motion as he fell to his knees. He felt himself demorph, his power temporarily completely depleted. Darkness encroached on the edges of his vision as he thanked whoever was listening for letting that little trick work this time. Then he collapsed, allowing the gentle encouragement from his teammates to lull him to sleep.

At length Hunter stirred, opening his eyes just in time to see the Psycho Rangers get transported away. He groaned and rolled onto his back to stare up at the sky and try and gather his senses. He could sense his teammates and allies lying all around him, some starting to stir and others still knocked out. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before forcing himself to sit up. _I feel like a freight train just ran over me. What happened?_ He rolled onto his hands and knees and crawled the short distance over to Blake, who was still out cold.

"Blake? Blake, wake up bro." Hunter put and hand on his brother's shoulder and shook.

Blake gasped, bolting up so fast their heads slammed together. Hunter yelped and fell back with a hand to his head. Blake mirrored his position, both of them groaning. After a few moments both brothers recovered and helped each other get up. Blake looked around at the carnage. Shane was up and helping Zadan come to his senses while the three Battle Rangers still hadn't stirred. There was a brief flash of light and then Amias was there helping Niko up.

"Kale?" Niko called as he went to kneel beside the fallen Knight Ranger. "C'mon buddy, you heroic idiot. You just woke up you can't do this now."

"Relax lad," Kardan said, bending down with a groan to check on Kale. "He's just sleepin' it off."

Niko looked down at Kale and sighed with relief. Gently he and Kardan picked Kale up and transported back to the ship. Gradually all the rangers managed to gather their senses and transported back to the ship. Once there Kardan ordered everyone to get rest and he confined others to the infirmary. For the first time since Kalix's arrival there was absolutely no one capable of protecting Earth.

ZzZzZ

"One Ranger managed to take you all out?" Kalix hissed. "That's more pathetic than the first team of Psycho Rangers."

Aurias, Terik, and Dariv bristled at that, but didn't say anything. Samous growled softly and spoke up on behalf of his team. "Master Kalix, there was nothing we could have done to stop him. He exploded before any of us had a chance to realize what was going on."

"I don't want excuses! I want results!" Kalix barked.

"Master, if you feel need to punish anyone for our failure, I ask that you punish me alone. I deem myself responsible for what happened." Samous replied.

"Very well." Kalix said. He then turned his gaze to the three original Psycho Rangers. "You three could stand to learn a few things from your new comrades. Now, all of you get out of here."

Samous stood tall and strong as the rest of his teammates left the room. Kyle patted him on the back and whispered words of encouragement to him as he left. Samous bowed his head and stood silently in front of Kalix as the raptor sat staring him down.

"You single mindedness harms the whole team." Kalix finally said. "Your thirst for revenge has consumed your soul."

"Niko must pay for what happened." Samous replied softly. "I will make him pay."

"That is the single mindedness I'm talking about." Kalix said. "It's going to get you into trouble."

Samous opened his mouth to reply, but something stopped him. He could feel something on the edge of his mind. At first he tried to ignore it, but it slowly turned from a slightly uncomfortable feeling to one of pain. It was like a needle being driven into his mind and it sent jolts of pain through his head. Samous gasped and fell to his knees, his hands going to his head.

"One way or another you're going to learn your lesson." Kalix continued one eye squinted slightly.

Samous whimpered and a few tears slipped from his eyes. He cursed himself for being weak. He was a mighty warrior. He could handle a little pain. But this wasn't a little pain. The needle had turned into an ice pick and he couldn't stand it. It felt like old wounds were being ripped open. Nightmares were resurfacing and his worst fears were tormenting him. It had to stop. He had to make it stop.

"Stop it! STOP IT!"

With a roar of desperate fury Samous suddenly lashed out. His fist connected with Kalix's jaw and the raptor's head snapped back with the impact. Instantly the pain in Samous's head faded as if it had never been there. The Psycho Ranger got back to his feet and stared in horror at what he had done. He had hit the most powerful being in the universe. Kalix was going to have his head when he came to. He would be labeled a traitor and executed. He was doomed.

Then he saw a small trickle of blue blood from Kalix's brow. Something inside him snapped awake, realization dawned on him. Kalix wasn't some all powerful being as he had always acted. He was mortal and more than that he was weak. His psychic abilities were powerful, and painful, but he was as vulnerable as any other. Kalix was using the fear of punishment to control them, but they could fight back. They could win. The Psycho Rangers didn't have to be controlled by Kalix. They didn't have to be controlled by anyone. The epiphany shocked him to the core and excited him like nothing else before. He was done taking orders from an abusive, power hungry monster.

_Psychos, come to me._

It took a few minutes, but gradually the whole Psycho team gathered back in the command room. All of them stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Samous holding an unconscious Kalix by the back of his neck. They weren't sure what to think.

"This scum has fooled us all." Samous announced.

"What are you doing?" Dariv demanded.

"I'm setting us free." Samous replied. He dropped Kalix on the floor. "He's been controlling us with fear, but we have nothing to fear from this snake."

"You're sounding a lot like a traitor." Psycho Bronze said, morphed except for his helmet which he had removed.

The three original Psychos shared a look. It was obvious to them that their time for revenge had finally come. Kalix was going to pay for what he had done to them. What he had caused them to lose.

"Samous, there's something you should know." Aurias said. She looked up into the massive man's eyes. "Kalix set us up on Jaldia. He made sure our team fell apart. Whatever he told you that happened was a lie. He was behind it all."

"A lie? Niko didn't abandon me?" Samous asked.

"Oh he did. He didn't try very hard to find you before he fell back." Dariv said.

Samous growled, his hands tightening into fists. "I knew it. I'll kill the bastard for leaving me behind."

Dariv and Terik shared a quick smirk, before Dariv spoke up. "Now, we may be capable of overthrowing Kalix, but who says we should?"

"I don't want to be someone's slave if I don't have to be." Silver spoke up.

"Yeah, I say we show this bastard what Psychos can really do." Gold added.

"Deder will never follow us. He's programmed to be loyal to Kalix only." Kyle said. "Neither will his Dedians or the Lizarians."

"No one's said we're rebelling yet." Dariv argued.

Samous gave him a defiant look, eyes gleaming with malice. "You're either with us or against us Dariv and I wouldn't be against us if I were you."

"Fine," Dariv growled. He knew it would be better to go along with them than to defy eight Psycho Rangers. "But I'm still the leader."

"Why should we follow you?" Kyle demanded. "Samous is more of a leader than you'll ever be."

"There's more required to be a leader than just brute strength."

"Are you saying I'm stupid?" Samous snarled.

"No." Dariv barked. "What I'm saying is I've had more experience leading."

"Fine." Samous relented. "But if I'm not satisfied with your leading ability..."

Dariv understood the warning. He knew his leadership over the new Psycho team was tentative and they would only follow him as long as Samous did. He knew that Samous knew this. In a way that gave Samous a lot of control, because if Dariv did anything the Black Psycho Ranger didn't like he could turn the whole team against him. Only Terik and Aurias were loyal to him, but they couldn't stand up to the rest of the Psychos. Maybe if Zadan and Niko were still with them, but with only three of them, they didn't stand a chance.

"Okay, lock Kalix up in one of his own force fields. Samous take care of the dedians and Dani you do the same with the lizarians. Chris and Sid, find Deder and put him with Kalix. The rest of you spread out and make sure the monsters are going to be loyal to us." Dariv ordered. "Akki, make sure the communication systems are fried. We don't want the rest of the fleet finding out what's going on."

Sensei Watanabe watched the coup d'état take shape. He couldn't help but feel like things were about to get much worse for his rangers and he had no way of sending them a warning. _Be strong my rangers. Your limits will soon be tested._

ZzZzZ

Hunter sat by Dustin's bed, worry creasing his features. Kardan had announced that Dustin's concussion was much worse. He didn't think Dustin would be waking up any time soon. Hunter couldn't believe it. Dustin was in a coma again. He was going to give the younger boy a lot of crap for being put in a coma twice. Joking about it would make it so much easier to deal with.

"He'll be alright."

Hunter looked up to see Shane watching him. "I know, but every time he gets seriously hurt..."

"It hurts you too." Shane finished when Hunter hesitated.

"You too?"

"He is one of my best friends." Shane said, his eyes trailing to where Tori was sleeping. "It hurts to see them both down."

Hunter sighed. "Y'know I wish we were still fighting Lothor. At least with him I never doubted that we could beat him or anything he threw at us."

"Well, maybe that's our problem." Shane mused. "We never doubted ourselves before and we could beat anything. But now we doubt ourselves and we're having a harder and harder time winning."

"Our enemies are getting stronger and stronger. Of course it's getting harder to win." Hunter lowered his voice so no one could hear him. "If we can win."

"Of course we can win. What kind of attitude is that?" Shane demanded.

"Well considering we barely survived this last attack I think I have a right to doubt. If Kale hadn't shown up we probably would have all fallen." Hunter replied defensively. "You're about the only one that walked away without a scratch Shane. I think that says a lot about what we're up against now."

Shane couldn't find an argument for that. He looked down at Dustin and sighed. _At least it's not my fault this time._ He put a hand on Dustin's shoulder and squeezed. He had a feeling his friend wouldn't be out as long as he was before.

ZzZzZ

"You're too weak Akar. You'll never make a good Ranger if you can't stand a little criticism." Ja'lar lectured. "Suck it up and stop being a hatchling about it."

_Akar looked up, his yellow-green eyes flashing with wounded pride. "I'm not acting like a hatchling. But it's not fair. Sun'su always finds something wrong with my techniques, even if there is none. He doesn't even criticize the rest of you."_

"_Sun'su realizes you're the weakest of us all." Ja'lar replied._

"_I'm not weak." Akar snarled._

"_Don't fool yourself Akar. The team would be better off without you, but the Blue Dragon Power chose you and we have to honor that." Ja'lar retorted. "You're a liability to the team, but we're honor-bound to let you stay."_

"_Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about! I'm not weak and I'll show you!" Akar roared. He watched as Ja'lar stalked away, long tail swishing behind him. "I'll show you all."_

ZzZzZ

Deder felt no fear as he was cornered by Psycho Gold and Psycho Silver. The two were laughing maliciously, weapons drawn and ready. Deder knew it meant trouble, but wasn't emotionally impacted by it. He knew that behavior like this meant rebellion and his master was most likely in trouble. He sent an order to all his dedians to find the other Psychos and stop them. In some part of his mind he knew his soldiers wouldn't stand a chance against the Psychos, but he couldn't give up without a fight.

"Just come quietly Deder and we won't hurt you." Silver said.

"Why do you betray your master?" Deder asked, unable to understand why something like this was happening.

"Kalix is using us and we're tired of being his puppets." Gold replied. "Don't try and understand it Deder. Someone who lacks any emotion at all can't possibly understand."

"Now, enough talk. Just give up or we'll have to us force." Silver ordered.

Deder's hand went to pull his sword, but Gold lunged forward, swinging a sickle at Deder's head. Deder ducked and shifted away from his attackers. Silver attacked with vigor. Deder managed to grab one of Silver's wrists and swung him around into the wall. He then did several back flips away from Psycho Gold and managed to pull his sword as his feet landed firmly on the floor.

"I was hoping you wouldn't give up without a fight." Gold said. "Makes things more exciting."

"I will not allow you to succeed."

Silver smirked as he moved to stand beside his partner. "Oh? That sounded like a cliché, Deder. You don't really think you stand a chance against us, do you? Not by yourself."

Deder didn't reply and simply waited. He didn't have to wait long. Gold lunged with a swing of a sickle at Deder's head. Deder ducked, but was caught by a kick to his helmeted faced by Silver. The force of the blow knocked him onto his back and sent him sliding down the hall a little. Deder used the momentum to roll backwards and onto his feet, but he didn't have time to recover. Gold caught him with a kick to the chest and Silver's blades raked over Deder's helmet, slicing through in some places. Deder got his sword up in time to block Gold's sickles, but that left his stomach painfully open and Silver took advantage. Silver's blades easily sliced through Deder's armor and to the tender flesh below. Deder hissed and kicked Silver away and swung his sword again to fend off Gold's sickles, but he was no match for the two Psychos fighting in unison. Deder swung his sword at Silver's head, but the Psycho caught his sword between two of the blades and twisted, ripping the weapon out of Deder's hands.

"This is your last chance to surrender." Silver taunted. "I'd do it if I were you."

Deder didn't surrender, but he didn't stand a chance. Gold went for a leg sweep and as Deder jumped it, Silver caught the general with a viciously powerful kick to his chest. It sent him crashing back into the wall leaving a dent behind. He managed to get to his feet, but that was as far as he got. Before he could react his sword was shoved through his shoulder and into the wall behind him. He cried out in pain and reached a hand to pull it out when one of Gold's sickles was shoved through the other shoulder. It left him pinned helplessly to the wall as his two opponents snickered at him.

"Not very smart are you? Otherwise you would have known that together we are the most dangerous Psycho Rangers." Gold taunted.

"Just remember, it took two of you." Deder said and even though they knew it wasn't possible it sounded like he was mocking them.

Silver growled and pulled his arm back, ready to end Deder's life, but Gold caught his fist. "Dariv wants him alive."

"We can say he resisted." Silver said. "And he did."

"And Dariv is going to believe that the two of us couldn't have subdued him without killing him?"

"Good point."

Gold smirked then, visor glowing at he looked back at Deder. "For better or worse, you live for now. But I have a feeling you're going to wish we killed you."

ZzZzZ

Psycho Black smirked as he entered the Dedian's armory. All the dedians that had been out of armor were desperately trying to get ready. Those that were already in their armor had already started to spread through the ship to subdue the coup, but the reports coming back weren't good. They knew that the Psychos were quickly dealing with their brethren and knew they had to get out there quickly and stop the massacre. All of them stopped when they saw Psycho Black standing in the doorway.

"Don't even bother getting in your armor, unless you're ready to swear allegiance to us." Black said.

"Never." Came the unified response.

Black grinned, pulling his swords. "I was hoping you would say that."

The dedians tried to defend themselves, but Psycho Black was more powerful and better armed. It was a brutal, inhumane slaughter. He didn't give any of them a chance to get weapons, simply cut them down where they stood. Several tried to flee, but Black caught them as well. When the screams faded and the last dedian fell Black looked around at his carnage. The room was splattered with blood and gore just like Psycho Black was. As he turned and left the room a lone dedian climbed out of an armor closet and surveyed the scene of death and agony. He felt something he had never felt before, a blackness in the pit of his stomach that overwhelmed his mind and he didn't understand it at first. He had never felt anything, but suddenly he was feeling and it was an emotion he had no way of understanding. What he did understand was that his brethren had been slaughtered by the Psycho Rangers and he was going to make them pay. One way or another he would make them pay.

ZzZzZ

"One Psycho Ranger can't take us all." A lizarian hissed.

"You underestimate me." Psycho Gray scolded softly, with a hint of danger in her voice.

"Just try it girlie." Another lizarian sneered. The room held a total of sixty lizarians all in various states of preparing for battle.

"We're going to rip you apart."

Psycho Gray smirked. She pulled her whip from the holster at her hip. The lizarians laughed, unafraid of such a weak weapon. Psycho Gray's smirk widened and she decided to show them just how dangerous her whip could be. She attacked the closest lizarian to her with a kick to its face. The others attacked in unison, but none of them got close to Gray. She whirled and twirled using her legs, arms, and whip as deadly weapons. She was mowing them down, slaughtering them with terrifying ease. After a moment some of the smart lizarians turned to try and get away, but she was all over them.

Two lizarians cowered in a shower stall, listening to the slaughter in the main room. They could hear their comrades' frantic thoughts and feelings of despair and agony. One tensed to go out there, to stand beside his brothers, but the other grabbed him. Their emotions battled one another until one of them won. They both stayed crouched in the shower as they listened to the dying thoughts of their last brother. Then they listened to Psycho Gray mutter to herself as she left the room. When all was silent the two lizarians crept out of the shower and looked in horror at their dead and dying brethren.

"What do we do now Marx?" The younger lizarian asked, looking up at his clone brother.

"We wait for the time to avenge our brothers." Marx replied, reptilian eyes fierce. "I'll tear her apart with my claws and teeth."

"What about Master Kalix?"

"He's too strong to be taken out by a bunch of rebels." _I hope._


	28. Black On the Attack

AN: Alright, gonna address Psycho Tangerine's review. When I said I couldn't avoid slash, I wasn't kidding. It pops in there without my say and I honestly can never bring myself to fight it. What I really meant by light splash of slash was that it just would never be a main focus of the story. The only true focus this story has is on the angst of being up against something that seems completely unbeatable. You'll probably keep seeing slash pop up in the second and third story, but as I've said before it will never be a main focus. Any stories that focus mainly on relationships will be posted under More To It.

On another note. Those two guys who had stopped talking...you'll see them again. Don't worry. Nothing that happens is without a purpose and everyone remotely mentioned will play a role.

ZzZzZ

Red looked around as he sat in Kalix's chair in the command room. He never would have thought that he would dare sit in Kalix's chair. He never would have guessed that they would have the strength to overthrow Kalix and take control. Now though he was faced with the dilemma of keeping control. The eight new Psycho Rangers were rebellious and defiant and weren't going to follow someone they thought was weak. He barely had control over them now and if Psycho Black decided to take over no one would be able to stop him. He, Crimson, and Blue weren't as strong as the new Psycho Rangers. They were somehow tapped into more of their power and it made them even more volatile and much more dangerous.

"We can't trust them."

Red glanced over at Crimson, who was still acting as his second in command. "I know. Samous has more control of the situation than I like. It might be better to get rid of him."

"As if the other Psychos won't see right through that." Crimson argued. "Kyle could take command just as easily and there would still be too many of them for us to stand up to."

"My only course of action is to make them respect me."

"You can't make them respect you anymore than you made me respect you." Crimson replied. "Respect has to be earned."

"I have no idea how to earn their respect." Red admitted.

"I do." Crimson's visor flashed. "Kill your Ranger first."

Red's visor flashed in return. "That's a great idea."

"Now you just have to pull it off."

ZzZzZ

"We can't put more importance on one over the other."

"Get real Cam, we don't even really know this Sebastien kid. You're telling me healing him is more important than Dustin?" Hunter demanded. "That kid doesn't even fit in on the team."

Cam glared back in response. "Yeah, because you keep alienating him. You're the only one that has a problem with him."

"Relax guys. Dustin's head wound will heal a lot faster than Sebastien's wounds." Kale said. "I'll put Dustin in first and get him up and awake and then we can get Sebastien healed."

"I still say it's unnatural." Kardan said, watching as Kale gathered Dustin in his arms. "Healing chambers and the like take the danger right out of life."

"Not really." Kale replied. "Most fatal wounds won't heal."

Kardan didn't get a chance to reply before Kale transported away. The doctor sighed and went about his rounds. Most everyone was out of the infirmary now, but Zadan was still resting from his fight with the Psychos. Like Dustin, Tori had a concussion and had yet to wake up, but Kardan was confident she wasn't as bad off as her yellow teammate. His teammate, Sizvu, was getting some much needed bed rest under the strict orders of Kardan. Sizvu would have never stayed in the infirmary willingly and Kardan was willing to bet he wouldn't rest in his own room. He knew he would have gone straight to his little workshop and started tinkering instead of following doctor's orders.

"He's going to be mad you made him stay." Harper mused, from the doorway.

Kardan sighed. "I know, but he's too damn stubborn for his own good."

"And too grumpy."

"Only if you don't look deep enough." Kardan replied with a knowing look.

Harper rolled his eyes and started out of the infirmary when the alarms screamed to life throughout the ship. He turned back and shared a look with Kardan. Together they headed out of the infirmary and followed the flood of rangers to the bridge. Once there Harper brought up the emergency on the main screen and everyone stared in horror at what was happening. The Psycho Rangers were focusing on the citizens. It was a total slaughter unlike anything they had seen before. Death and carnage was everywhere and it tore at all of them, the protective instincts inside them flaring to life.

"We have to stop them." Blake said, voice soft from complete horror, but no less determined to put a stop to it.

_We don't stand a chance. _Hunter thought morosely as he watched what was happening. _Someone is going to get hurt._

Suddenly there was a flash of light and Kale appeared on the screen, challenging the Psycho Rangers. That snapped the rangers out of their horrified staring. Sizvu joined them, ignoring Kardan's annoyed look. As one they all morphed and transported out, none of them were prepared for what was about to take place.

ZzZzZ

It was chaos from the moment the rangers got there. The Psycho Rangers still outnumbered the rangers by three, but it seemed that Kale was fully capable of picking up the slack. In fact, he was the only one not struggling against his opponents. Even the three experienced Battle Rangers were having a hard time against their foes.

Shane felt totally thrown off by the lack of his two best friends. Even though they usually fought separate, they could always feel each other's energy. The lack of that silent support was affecting him worse than Shane wanted to admit. He was having a hard time with Psycho Red, barely keeping up with his quick and brutal opponent. He felt unbalanced and alone even though he had allies all around him.

Hunter and Blake struggled to stay together much to the annoyance of Crimson and Teal. The two Psychos were incapable of working together, but they didn't need to. Blake grunted as his staff attack was knocked to the side and he was kicked roughly in the chest. He used the momentum to flip backwards, but as soon as his feet touched the ground he was hit hard by Teal's mace. Blake fell back in a daze and watched as Teal stood over him, ready to deal a fatal blow. Teal raised his mace to make the strike, but was yanked backwards, the mace slipping from his grip. He spun to face whoever dared interfere and received a powerful punch to his face that snapped his head backwards. Teal stumbled and never got a chance to recover as he caught a flash of crimson before he felt a fiery pain in his stomach. Darkness swallowed him and as his world faded the last thing he saw were glowing green eyes.

Hunter jerked his arm back and looked in surprise down at the gauntlet on his fist. He hadn't called it. In fact, he hadn't even thought about he was doing. He saw Blake in danger and just reacted and the gauntlet must have known it was needed. He knew the gauntlet was capable of action on its own, but he was slightly startled to realize that it had taken initiative in attacking Psycho Teal. That worried Hunter just a little bit. How much control did the gauntlet have over him? His thought process was brought to a brutal end as something hard impacted with his head and everything went blurry.

"Not bad Crimson Ranger, but you shouldn't have lost focus on me." Crimson sneered. He raised Teal's borrowed mace, but never got a chance.

Before Crimson could even tense a muscle to bring the mace down the Tiger Gauntlet reacted. The gauntlet moved itself pointing its muzzle right at Crimson. The startled Psycho barely gasped before crimson energy hit him dead on in the chest. The pure power lifted him off his feet and tossed across the street through a wall where he lay unmoving.

The fight between Cam and Psycho Green was going as fast and furious as before. This time with their weapons drawn Cam was having a little bit of a harder time keeping up with Green as his Psycho opponent had two sabers. One false move, one misplaced step and he was done for. But as they fought Cam was beginning to recognize his enemy's fighting style. Cam anticipated one of Green's attacks and moved aside, giving him just enough time to verbalize his realization.

"You were a student at the Wind Ninja Academy!"

Psycho Green turned at Cam's words, his smirk hidden behind his helmet. "So, you finally recognized my fighting style, eh Watanabe?"

"Don't the bad guys ever learn not to use one of our own against us? Lothor already tried that with the Thunder Rangers." Cam said, preparing for his opponent to attack.

"Oh please, Lothor wasn't smart enough to offer the Thunder Rangers anything of value." Green replied.

"And what did he offer you?"

"Why, power of course and what fool would turn that down?"

"I would." Cam retorted easily. "Nothing could convince me to work for the enemy."

"Then you're as much of a fool as I thought you were." Green taunted. He tensed and raised both his sabers. "Now, enough talk!"

Cam raised his saber to block Green's sabers. Green smirked and though one saber did make contact with Cam's, he changed the other's direction to slash the Samurai across the chest in a shower of sparks. Cam stumbled back and was unable to defend himself as Green ruthlessly followed. Sparks flew and Cam struggled to get back into the flow of attack and defend, but Green was suddenly two steps ahead of everything he tried. He couldn't catch up and realized with horror that Green was going to win if he didn't figure something out quick.

Kardan was finding out first hand how tough Psycho Gray was. She was quick and agile and while he was both of those things he couldn't match her. She snapped her whip at him and he instinctively raised his arm to block the blow. The whip wrapped tightly around his arm and held firm as he yanked against it. Psycho Gray smirked to herself and wondered when they would stop underestimating the power of her whip. Then she let energy surge through the whip and into the Blue Battle Ranger, who jerked under the power of the attack.

Harper was fighting Psycho Purple, with as much ducking and dodging as he was doing it wasn't much of a fight. Her two axes flashed in the sunlight as she swung them with deadly intent. Harper used the forearm mounted shield to deflect most of her blows, but the power behind the strikes jarred his arm painfully every time and it was getting harder and harder to get his arm up. Purple swung her axes at Harper's head and as he blocked with his shield she ducked low and swept his legs right out from under him. Harper rolled out of the way of her next attack, but as he got to his feet she caught him with both her axes across his faceplate. The blow sent him spinning to the ground where he was slow to rise and defend himself.

Psycho Bronze was a powerhouse as Sizvu quickly found out. Bronze moved slowly because of his size, but he was calculating. As Sizvu leapt into the air for a flying kick Bronze stepped to the side and snatched the Black Battle Ranger right out of the air. Sizvu grunted, completely caught by surprise, and began struggling as Bronze wrapped him in a bear hug. Bronze laughed maniacally and began to tighten his hold as Sizvu kicked and squirmed trying to get loose.

"Give it up, once I've got you in my clutches there's no escape." Bronze boomed. "I won't let you go until I've crushed every bone in your pathetic body." With every word he tightened his hold just a little bit, loving the soft gasps of pain he was drawing out of the still struggling ranger.

At first Kale had been able to keep up with his three opponents, but that illusion was quickly fading. He was powerful and more experienced than any of the rangers present, but fighting three very powerful, very well trained enemies at the same time had been a mistake. Silver and Gold made a dangerous team together and even though Black didn't figure into the mix very well he didn't need to anticipate his teammates' moves in order to get into the fight. Kale grunted as he blocked both of Black's swords with his lance and he was forced back a few steps before he planted his feet and shoved the swords away. Silver and Gold filled Black's position using perfectly synchronized attacks to keep the Knight Ranger in a purely defensive mode.

_Let's show this chump what happens to arrogant fools that bite off more than they can chew. _Silver suggested to his partner.

_I've got a sickle with his name on it. _Gold agreed.

Black unwittingly aided them. He went for Kale's legs to take him down, but Kale jumped the swords. Silver lunged over Black's head and shoved his blades into Kale's shoulder while forcing him backwards in the air. Gold zipped behind them and then leapt into the air and dug both his sickles into Kale's back. As they hit the ground they had the infamous and mighty Knight Ranger sandwiched between them.

_How do I keep getting caught like this? What kind of ranger am I if I can't fend off their attacks? _Kale thought as he desperately tried to work out away to get out of the mess he was in.

Suddenly twin steaks tore Silver and Gold away from their prey. Black watched with narrowed eyes as Yellow and Navy took his younger teammates by surprise. With a feral growl he lunged at Navy's back, catching his ex-teammate with a powerful kick that sent him flying to the ground. Yellow twisted around to go to Navy's aid, but Gold caught him with a kick to the side that knocked him to the ground as well.

"Give it up. You guys are outdated. You can't beat us, we're what you guys should have been." Gold taunted. "You aren't even in--."

Gold's taunt was instantly cut off by a kick to the chest. As he stumbled back he looked up to see Kale had come to Yellow's aid. Silver and Gold regrouped and got ready to start the fight over again. Yellow put a hand on Kale's shoulder to steady his friend, but Kale shrugged him off.

"Let's get this done."

Navy stumbled, trying to catch his balance, but Black was all over him. Swords raked across his body as his opponent zipped around him, hitting him faster than he could defend. When Black finally stopped in front of Navy the younger Psycho was on his hands and knees trying to recover. Black lunged with both swords toward Navy's back, but Navy anticipated and rolled to the side, kicking at where Black would land. The kick caught his enemy in the side, but Black hardly reacted. Navy scrambled to his feet and the two faced off.

"Who are you? Why do you keep singling me out?"

"I'm just someone looking for revenge." Black snarled.

Navy frowned. "That doesn't answer my question."

Black didn't reply, but he didn't attack either. The two warriors stood facing off in silence as the battle raged around them. Navy thought it was strange until he suddenly realized he could feel an extreme amount of energy radiating from Black and none of it was directed at him. The energy was being directed around them, circling them, before the power of the energy became great enough to see. A translucent black dome separated Black and Navy from the rest of the fight; not only that, it ensured that neither of them would escape.

"Now, I can have my revenge without anyone interfering." Black announced.

"Revenge for what? Who are you!"

"I think I'll let you figure that out yourself, small fry."

Navy froze. His whole world went into slow motion and he stared in disbelief at his opponent. _It can't be. Only on person has ever called me that._ "Samous?"

"Shouldn't have called you 'small fry'. I could have killed you without you ever knowing who it was." Black said. "But this might be even better."

"Samous? How—but---how?" Navy stuttered.

"I was 'captured' shortly after you left me behind. I was turned over to Kalix who gave me another chance and put me with the other team he was training simultaneously." Black explained. "That's unfortunate for you Niko. I don't take being abandoned by someone I trust lightly."

"I didn't have a choice! I followed orders like I was trained to!"

"And you left a teammate behind! That's unacceptable and I don't care what your orders were!" Black roared. "You could have taken five minutes to come back for me!"

"I saw you go down Samous! Blaster right to the back in a live fire training mission!" Navy yelled back. "You should be dead!"

Samous growled low and deep. "You're going to wish you were that lucky. I trusted you Niko, you and the rest of the team and you abandoned me."

"I--."

"No more excuses!"

Gold and Silver looked around and were startled to realize that all their other teammates had been beaten already. The rangers were beginning to converge on them and as egotistical as they were, they weren't stupid enough to believe they could beat all of them. Gold called mentally to Black, but the large Psycho didn't acknowledge him. Black and Navy were locked in a titanic battle, the smaller Psycho barely holding off his huge rival. If he faltered for even a second his vicious ex-teammate would be able to finish him off.

"Niko!" Yellow pounded on the shield surrounding the battle, but couldn't make a dent.

Navy's eyes flicked to Yellow for just a moment and it was all Black needed. He faked a swing at Navy's head and then landed a kick that sent Navy flying back into the shield. Navy tried to get to his feet as quick as he could, but he wasn't fast enough. Black got the chance he needed to get past Navy's defenses and land harsh blows. A blow to Navy's stomach winded him and even as he went down Black continued to pound and slash him with his swords. Navy was crumbling under the attack and couldn't seem to defend himself.

"Psycho Energy Strike!" Yellow threw his energy attack at the shield. The shield flexed, pulsed, and then sent the attack right back at the owner. Yellow dodged easily and watched as Black continued to thrash his teammate.

Navy ducked and rolled under Black's swords and managed to get to his feet, but before he could turn and defend himself he was struck by crackling black energy. His suit sparked wildly as he fell to his knees. He was yanked to his feet and thrown backwards against the shield again. He tried to get to his feet as quick as he could, but Black was too fast. Black yanked him up and pinned him against the shield by his throat and squeezed. Navy gasped and kicked out, but Black just absorbed the kicks and held on.

"Niko!" Yellow shouted in desperation. _Niko, just hold on!_

_Can't beat him. He's too strong._

_I'll save you!_

"You're pathetic." Black sneered. "Here I thought all your training might have made you a warrior, but you're still just a bumbling child with more power than you deserve."

Navy growled. Someone was insulting his pride, challenging his ability as a warrior. He couldn't just let Black get away with it. He tapped his power and sent a searing charge of energy into his enemy. Black dropped him with a roar and stumbled back. That gave Navy all the opening he needed. He grabbed his quarterstaff from where it had fallen during the first few minutes of the battle and slammed it with all his strength into Black's stomach. Black stumbled back, winded, but it wasn't enough. He grabbed Navy's next swing and yanked the quarterstaff away and slammed it across Navy's faceplate. Navy went down stunned - once more open to Black's attacks.

"As I said, absolutely pathetic." Black taunted. He pulled his swords once more. "Now to finish this. Psycho Blitz Rampage!"

"NIKO!" Yellow slammed himself against the shield, trying to get to his teammate, but the shield held firm. He could do nothing but watch in horror.

Black energy crackled over the blades, gathering all along it and pulsing with amazing power. He then made slashing motions toward Navy and the energy sliced through the air. Navy cried out with each impact, body lifted off the ground as a continuous stream of attacks. When the attack ended Navy's body hit the ground with a thump and he wasn't moving. His suit was crackling, disappearing and reappearing as if trying to demorph but still loaded with too much power to do it.

"Still alive? That's alright, I like doing things by hand anyway." Black said, stalking over to where Navy lay barely conscious and on death's doorstep.

"Niko!" Yellow bashed himself against the shield, each time with more and more force. He could feel his friend's life energy wavering. He could feel the Gem of Power reacting to the fading life. "NIKO!"

_Can't…can't give up. Have...stop Samous. Can't…_Niko could sense Psycho Black standing over him. He knew that a death blow was coming if he didn't do something. He wasn't strong enough though, not as he was. His level of power was pathetic compared to Black's. He needed more power, needed to draw on more of the Gem's capability and take the risk he had never been willing to take before. He'd felt Blue do it once, but even the power boost she had gained wouldn't be enough. He needed more. But he knew there was a good chance he would not only kill Black, but himself as well. _Zadan…_

_Niko!_

_I love you…_

_I love you too._

With that Navy closed his eyes and opened himself to his Gem. The response was immediate. The power surged through him, setting his blood on fire. He screamed in pain and arched his back as the raw power burned through him. Then he took control and directed the power where it needed to go. His suit began changing, altering to reflect the new power that he suddenly had, though he lacked control of it. The parts that had been silver changed to gold. The faceplate turned completely gold, the wicked smirk disappearing like a faded memory. The shoulder pads seemed to grow spines while two horns grew out of the forehead. And along with all the changes came a new strength that re-energized Navy.

The effect on the other two Psychos present was evident. Yellow was down on his hands and knees; suit crackling slightly as his Gem reacted to what was happening. He could tell that even though changes were taking place in his teammate, Navy couldn't control the amount of power he had opened himself up to. Without a thought to his own safety he reached down into his own Gem and then through the connection and began taking some of the released power into himself. Then his suit went through the same transformation, making them look less evil but no less intimidating.

Psycho Black's reaction was completely different. He too had tried to reach through the Gem connection to get a taste of the power, but he had gotten a nasty surprise. Navy's power fought back and instead of harnessing any of the power Psycho Black was knocked completely out of his morph as his body collapsed. He was the one unable to defend himself as Navy stood over him, energy crackling around one gauntlet.

"Now, I will show you the mercy you weren't prepared to show me." Navy said.

"That won't change anything." Samous snarled.

Navy sighed. "I know, but next time we'll be evenly matched."

"For your sake you should make sure there isn't a next time."

"You don't scare me Samous. You didn't when you were a bully, you didn't when you were a friend, and you don't now that you're an enemy."

"We'll see about that." And with that Samous was transported away.

Two things happened simultaneously. The translucent shield shattered apart and Navy collapsed. Yellow was at his side instantly, pulling his younger teammate into his lap. They demorphed and Zadan pulled Niko closer. They completely ignored the awestruck audience as they just celebrated the fact that they were both alive. The moment was finally broken when Kardan suggested they return to the ship. No one could argue. Everyone needed to visit the infirmary and that alone had Kardan worried.

_Can we beat these Psycho Rangers? Every time we face them at least one person gets hurt. Do we stand a chance? Does Earth stand a chance?_


	29. No Way Out

Kardan sighed as he once more looked over the infirmary. It seemed like he was doing that a lot recently. So many of them were coming back from battles wounded and it was just getting worse. Almost everyone who had gone out for the most recent battle had come back and gone straight to the infirmary. He was just glad it was big enough to accommodate them all.

"Shouldn't you be in a bed, Doc?"

Kardan looked over his shoulder at Zadan. "Aye, I should be, but I have to put their needs before my own."

"You won't do them any good when you collapse." Zadan replied, folding his arms across his chest.

"I've no time to rest lad, Sizvu is seriously wounded and Niko is lucky he's got advanced healing ability from the Gem." Kardan said, giving a stubborn look of his own. "You should be resting as well. You were hardly in any condition to join the battle."

"Nah, just a little banged up." Zadan said. "Now, I'm just giving you this one chance to check yourself into an infirmary bed."

Kardan smirked down at the slightly smaller boy. "Oh, then what lad? You plan on putting me to bed?"

"I'm not arrogant enough to think I can force you to do anything, not yet anyway, but there's someone that can." Zadan said, and then stepped out of the doorway.

Kardan had just enough time to gasp before he felt a gentle presence in his mind forcing him into sleep. Zadan caught the doctor as the man collapsed and dragged him over to a bed beside his teammates. That done, he turned to Amias and grinned.

"Your psychic abilities sure can come in handy." Zadan said.

A brief look of pain flashed across Amias's face, but it was gone almost as quick as it appeared. He gave a grin that would have been convincing if Zadan hadn't seen the pain. "That's what I'm here for."

"Are you okay?" Zadan asked, immediately worried.

Amias's confused looked was still not convincing. "What do you mean? Of course I'm okay."

_Liar. _Zadan thought, but quickly recognized the other boy's defensive ploys. Something was wrong, but Amias didn't want to talk about it and it wasn't his place to push it. He would just tell his concerns to Niko and his younger friend could take care of his own teammate.

"Zadan? Are _you_ okay?" Amias asked, breaking through Zadan's thoughts.

Zadan smiled. "I've been better, but I've been worse too."

"Maybe you should get some sleep too."

"If I say no are you going to knock me out too?" Zadan asked playfully.

Again there was a flash of pain, but it was quickly gone. "Don't tempt me."

Zadan watched as the other boy shot him another fake smile, then turned and left the infirmary. He had to wonder what was causing Amias so much pain. It had something to do with his psychic abilities, but what? He knew it wasn't his place to pry, Amias was Niko's teammate not his, but in some strange and twisted way that made them teammates as well. They were connected through Niko, so maybe he had the right to check up on Amias. _Nah, he'll probably blow me off. I'll just let Niko handle him._

ZzZzZ

"That was pathetic. You talk tough, but you couldn't even beat Niko." Red sneered.

"At least I came closer to beating Niko than you did the Red Ranger. I could have killed that fool as distracted as he was." Samous snarled. He still didn't have the energy to morph after his battle.

Red laughed mockingly. "You had Niko on death's doorstep and you couldn't finish it."

"I haven't seen you do any better." Samous snarled.

"Yeah, I have to say I'm not very impressed by your leadership." Green added.

"Your plan was to just go down there and create chaos to draw out the rangers, but your plan stopped there." Gold continued.

"There's more to planning a battle than that." Silver said, supporting his partner as usual.

Red's eyes widened under his helmet as he realized his control over the other Psychos was slipping away very quickly. They were losing faith in him and the fact that both his teammates were injured from the battle didn't help at all. There was no one to support him and the Psychos that were in the room were ready to overthrow him.

"I have a plan." Red announced quickly, without thinking.

Samous smirked. "Oh? What kind of plan."

"It's um.." Red was near panic, though none of them could see it. He didn't have a plan. He didn't have a clue what to do next. He reached for the first thing he could think of and spat it out. "A plan to kill the Knight Ranger."

"Oh really?" Green laughed. "Sounds to me like you're just trying to come up with something."

"No, I have a plan to get rid of the biggest thorn in our side, the Knight Ranger." Red replied, sounding much more convincing the second time around. "He's the most powerful and with him out of the way the rest will fall like dominos."

ZzZzZ

"Dustin!" Hunter exclaimed upon seeing the younger boy with Kale.

Dustin grinned in return. "Hey dude."

There was a happy reunion as Shane and freshly woken Tori also spotted their newly healed teammate. No one paid much attention as Kale slipped into the ICU and transported away with Sebastien. Blake was still sleeping, as was just about everyone else in the infirmary. Zadan was sitting at Niko's side, holding his teammate's hand and waiting. Likewise Kardan was moving between Harper and Sizvu, encouraging both to recover soon.

"So, have I missed anything?" Dustin asked.

"We had a fight a little while ago. Those new Psychos pretty much stomped all over us." Shane said. "If Hunter hadn't managed to take out his and Blake's Psychos I would have been toast. Hunter was able to help me beat Red and then we spread out and helped the others."

"Then Psycho Black singled out Niko and almost killed him." Hunter continued. "I'm still not sure what happened, but Niko and Zadan's suits changed."

Dustin's eyes flickered over to the two Psychos, but quickly returned to his teammates. "Guys, I had a strange dream while I was sleeping."

"More adventures with Lion?" Shane asked teasingly.

"No, this was something different." Dustin replied, brow furrowed as he struggled to remember something. "It was...like I was reliving someone else's life. It was the former owner of the dual-sabers."

"Really? What about?" Tori asked, tired but interested.

"Just random memories." Dustin replied. "But from what I'm seeing they didn't act much like rangers. The others were pretty cruel to Akar, the owner of the dual-sabers."

"Well, no one's perfect. Maybe you just saw a bad day." Tori suggested.

"It didn't feel that way. It felt like...I felt his hurt and his desperation to prove himself to his comrades." Dustin continued. "I got the feeling that things didn't get better for him, but I didn't see much."

"I don't see why it matters. It doesn't have anything to do with us." Hunter said.

"It's Ranger history, Hunter; that has everything to do with us. Besides, it reminded me of how you treat Sebastien. He shouldn't have to prove himself to you Hunter."

Hunter rolled his eyes. "Not this again."

"Fine, I won't push the point, but you might think about it. How you treat him is going to start affecting the team and how we treat you as well." Dustin replied. "And you might not like it."

ZzZzZ

Kale sighed to himself as he closed the healing chamber and watched as it started filling with mist. He'd never asked Max how the healing chamber worked. It had never mattered to him, except on the rare occasions that his curiosity got the best of him. But nothing made him want to listen to his friend techno-babble about things he'd never understand.

With one final look at Sebastien he transported back to the ship. He wanted to check on Niko and Zadan. He knew he shouldn't have gotten attached to anyone. His heart was still healing from all the losses he had suffered, but in a way it almost felt like his friendship with the two Psychos was helping to heal it. Maybe if he spent enough time with them he could feel like he did so long ago. Nothing could bring back the innocence that was lost to death and destruction, but maybe, just maybe, he could get his happiness back.

"Hey Kale." Zadan greeted. "Shouldn't you be resting too? You were injured as well, weren't you?"

"Nah, their weapons didn't go that deep." Kale replied. "I got a little rest and I feel fine."

"That's good." Zadan said before his eyes shifted to Niko. He lifted his free hand and brushed his fingers over his teammate's pale skin. "He looks so fragile."

"Looks are deceiving. He's anything but fragile."

"I know, but I feel like I have to protect him. I never want to see him sad or hurt." Zadan said. "It was killing me watching Samous beating him to death."

"That's love for you." Kale said with a knowing smile. "It was hard for me to watch anything happen to Nick and I know it was the same for him. Though, he had to watch me get hurt more often."

"It's funny you should say that. Niko told me he loved me for the first time right before he tapped into his Gem power. Why did he wait until he thought he was going to die to tell me that he loved me?"

"I don't know, that's something you'll have to ask him yourself." Kale replied. "The first time Nick told me he loved me was when he burst into the dungeon Nyus was torturing me in. He almost tore Nyus apart and then when he saw me he freaked out. I was so close to death and he was afraid he would lose me before he could say it."

"What a way to find out he loved you." Zadan said.

Kale smirked. "Oh, I knew that much, he was way too obvious. That was just the first time he admitted it."

"I wish we could have said it to each other for the first time under different circumstances."

"Trust me; don't worry about how it was said. Just enjoy the time you get to spend with each other, because it could be very short."

Zadan nodded, watching the sadness that overtook his adopted teammate. He knew that Kale put on a brave front for everyone, but Zadan was getting close enough to see past that. Hundreds of years later Kale still couldn't get over what had happened. He'd lost everything that mattered to him and his heart couldn't mend. They were lucky that he was willing to put himself back out there again and make friends and teammates.

"Kale?"

The Knight Ranger looked up from Niko's face. "Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

Kale looked confused. "What makes you ask that?"

"Niko and Amias were telling me about how your mind was trapped in bad memories. I just thought maybe you would need to talk about it." Zadan replied.

"Thanks, but I don't want to talk about it." Kale said with a smile. "I'm dealing with it on my own, but I appreciate the thought."

"You know you can talk to us if you need to, right?"

"Of course and that goes both ways."

Zadan smiled and opened his mouth to say something more when the intercom in the infirmary beeped. Kale raised an eyebrow at his younger friend, who frowned a walked over to the intercom. Zadan pushed a few buttons to turn the volume down and then paged whoever it was back.

"This is the infirmary."

"Zadan? Is Kale still there?" Amias's voice questioned.

"I'm here." Kale answered, sharing another confused looked with Zadan.

"Come to the bridge Kale, there's something you should see."

_That doesn't sound good. _Kale thought with a frown. He quickly headed toward the bridge with Zadan right behind him. When they got there Amias' attention was focused on the main screen and he didn't even acknowledge them. Kale stepped up beside the younger ranger and looked at what had caught his friend's attention. Psycho Silver and Psycho Gold were bickering between themselves, but stopped when they saw Kale enter the room.

"Took you long enough." Silver grumped.

"What do you want?" Kale demanded.

"We want to challenge you to a fight, just you." Gold announced. "You can choose which of us you fight."

"I decline." Kale replied instantly. "Your fight isn't with me. This isn't my planet to defend."

"Well, see, the funny thing is that you don't have a choice." Silver said with a snicker. "Either you accept the challenge or we kill the fur ball."

Kale mentally cursed his bad luck. He'd been told that Sensei Watanabe had been captured, but the fact had slipped his mind. It was just his luck that they would decide to use that against him when the guinea pig didn't actually mean anything to Kale. Sure his life mattered, all life mattered, but Kale had no emotional attachment to the guinea pig whatsoever. He damned his Ranger instincts because he knew that despite all of that he was still going to accept the challenge even though he knew it was a trick.

"Fine, I accept your challenge." Kale growled.

"Kale you can't." Zadan hissed as if the two Psychos wouldn't hear him. "It's a trap."

"I know." Kale said with a sigh. "When and where?"

"Now and we'll send you the coordinates." Gold replied.

"No." Amias spoke up. "We choose the place, you choose who he fights. And if he wins we get Sensei Watanabe back."

Gold and Silver looked at each other with matching devious grins hidden behind their helmets. They both knew what Amias had just unwittingly suggested and they were more than okay with it. As Silver snickered to himself Gold turned his attention back to the conversation.

"Deal, but you're going to regret that kid." Gold taunted.

"So, choose the place." Silver said, obvious glee in his tone.

Amias reached down and pushed a button, instantly muting the conversation. He fixed Kale with a probing look. "Anywhere specific you want to fight?"

"There's no place that'll be safe. They can spring a trap no matter where we fight." Kale replied. He closed his eyes and sighed. He knew things weren't going to go well. "The cliffs by the ocean."

The three rangers turned their attention back to the screen in time to see Gold reach over and smack Silver on the back of the head. The two Psychos looked like they were about to go at each other. Amias smirked and turned off the mute.

"…rot in the depths of space you little punk!" Gold barked.

"You first!" Silver snarled.

Kale cleared his throat and instantly had the attention of the two Psychos. "The beach by the cliffs, two hours."

"Two hours!" Silver exclaimed.

"Time enough to say his goodbyes." Gold said with a smirk. "Make them good Knight Ranger."

The screen went black and Kale let out a long sigh. He knew he had a lot to do in two hours and somewhere deep down he knew he wouldn't get another chance to. He shot Zadan and Amias a sad smile before he transported to his ship to get some things done.

ZzZzZ

"Perfect, the fools played right into our hands." Red said with a smirk. "Now to choose who he'll fight."

"Us." Silver said, indicating Gold with a nod of his head.

"Of course, you two issued the challenge." Red agreed. "But the Knight Ranger is the most powerful ranger alive, that we know of, and it'll take more than two of you to get the job done."

"Me." Psycho Purple spoke up.

"Okay, one more."

"Me." Black growled. "I'll make sure the job gets done."

"Good enough for me." Red relented. "Now, your four had better prepare. The Knight Ranger isn't going to go down without a vicious fight."

"I have an idea that will make things much more interesting." Purple spoke up.

"Let's hear it." Red said, fixing the female Psycho with a curious look.

Psycho Purple grinned behind her mask. "Well, we're not the only ones who want a piece of the Knight Ranger..."

ZzZzZ

Kale quietly slipped into the infirmary and gave Hunter a nod before taking a seat beside Niko. He grabbed Niko's hand in both his and smiled sadly. He knew his friend wasn't going to be awake for a final goodbye and even if he had been Kale didn't have the heart to do such a thing. No one needed to know that he thought he was going to die, not when he stood half a chance of winning. Still, he also knew that it hurt deeply not to get a proper goodbye and was torn between waking his friend up to give a discrete goodbye or just let him sleep.

"Kale?"

Niko's quiet voice snapped the Knight Ranger out of his thoughts. He looked down at his adopted teammate and smiled. "Hey Niko, how are you feeling?"

"Sleepy and sore." Niko replied. His eyes were half open, but Kale could see the concern within them. "Are you okay?"

Kale shot his friend the best smile he could. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Something's wrong." Niko said brow furrowed. "I can sense it."

"Go back to sleep Niko. Everything's fine." Kale advised like an older brother.

Niko blinked a few times and looked like he still wanted to say something more on the subject, but almost against his own will his eyes slid shut. Kale watched as his younger teammate slept peacefully, blissfully unaware of how bad things were about to get. In his eyes Niko represented everything he used to be and he wished that he could continue to act as a friend, an adopted teammate, and maybe even a big brother. He recognized that Niko, more than Zadan, needed all of that and he wanted to be the one to provide it.

"You're hiding something."

Kale's head snapped up at Hunter's voice. He looked over at the brooding Crimson Ranger and was surprised to find worry in those piercing eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't pull that with me. I've gotten the run around from Blake too many times to be fooled anymore." Hunter said, shooting a brief look at his brother before focussing on Kale again. "What's going on?"

Kale debated telling the younger ranger anything, then decided it couldn't hurt too much. "The Psychos have challenged me to a fight."

"All of them?"

"Silver and Gold issued the challenge, but they get to choose who." Kale answered. "I've got thirty minutes."

Hunter studied the Knight Ranger carefully. He knew he'd never been very friendly with Kale, but since his arrival Hunter had begun to like the much older ranger. There was something likeable about Kale, something that drew others to him. And there was also something very mysterious about Kale. It was that something that drew Hunter's attention. And as he studied Kale he came to a realization that made his eyes widen.

"You're saying goodbye." Hunter said as if it was an accusation.

Kale sighed. "It's a trap Hunter. That much is obvious to everyone. I...I don't think I'm walking away from this one."

"You never struck me as the pessimistic type." Hunter replied.

"I'm not usually, but I don't have a good feeling about this." Kale answered, shooting the ranger a small smile. "If I truly don't make it through this one, I want to leave some parting advice. This is something my father once told me when I was about your age. You may be deceived if you trust too much, but you will live a life of torment if you do not trust enough."

Hunter looked thoughtful at that and almost missed Kale's perfectly timed exit. However, he caught a flash of movement from the corner of his eye and called out to the older man. He met Kale's stunning purple eyes with his own and tried to display his emotions as clearly as he could.

"Good luck Kale." Hunter said.

Kale gave him a small smile. "Thanks Hunter."

Hunter watched him go with a deep-rooted sadness. Something inside him told him that the next time he saw the Knight Ranger it would be under much worse circumstances.

Kale made his way to the rec. room where he knew the three Winds were probably relaxing. He wanted to say goodbye to them as well. They hadn't really got a chance to get close, but he liked them just the same. As he expected he found the three younger rangers all curled up together watching TV. Kale thought they looked cute and it reminded him of himself Nick and Valin.

"You kids should be doing something more productive." Kale said, leaning against the doorway.

Three heads snapped to look at him. All three teenagers smiled at their friend. Kale smiled back and moved to sit in the armchair close by.

"How are you two feeling?" Kale asked, indicating Dustin and Tori.

"Feeling much better." Dustin said. "Right Tor?"

"Much." Tori agreed.

"And I bet you feel better having them both with you again."

Shane smiled, looking content for the first time since Dustin's injury. "Yup, the world is right once more."

Kale silently mourned for them. They were just finding peace again within their united friendship. That peace was about to be ripped from them and he was sorry that it would be his fault. He knew what that felt like, to have things go terribly wrong just when everything seemed so right.

_You're just positive you're going to die. _Nick's voice spoke suddenly. _How can you think like that?_

_Because somewhere, deep down, I know it's true. _Kale replied. _And the scary thing is. I'm ready._

"You okay Kale?" Dustin asked.

Kale smiled as brightly as he could. "Yeah, just wanted to check on you guys. I also wanted to say thank you for trusting me."

"You never had to earn our trust; you've had it since the beginning." Tori said.

Kale smiled, albeit sadly, and nodded. "And for that I'm grateful. All of you have brought a light back into my life."

"What's wrong Kale? You look sad." Dustin asked, easily picking up the emotions in the older man.

"Just, seeing you guys together reminds me of my team." Kale answered, only partly telling the truth. "Take my advice, don't waste a moment of the time you have together. Once that moment is gone you'll never get it back."

Kale didn't give them a chance to say anything else. He quickly got up and left the room. He couldn't stand to be with them anymore. He knew his mask was going to crack and he couldn't let his emotions go when he was about to face...well he wasn't quite sure what he would face. He knew it was a trap and he knew that when the rangers found out why he walked right into the trap they would feel guilty. There was nothing he could do about that though. He had to go because a life was in danger if he didn't and he had to win to get that particular life back to the rangers. They were going to need their Sensei in the trying times to come.

His TransCom beeped as the time neared. Kale frowned and went over everything in his head. He'd said all the goodbyes he could. He'd set things in order on his ship and left behind the appropriate messages. He knew there was a very, very slim chance that the one person in the universe he wanted to say goodbye to would ever see the message. He hadn't seen his brother in so long and he couldn't tell if he was still alive or not, the bond between them was all but gone. He hoped that his brother was still alive and would be strong enough to finish what he had started. One of them had to be strong enough.

ZzZzZ

"Think he can win?" Amias asked, glancing at the main screen as he and Zadan watched Kale transport to the beach.

"I think that depends on what they throw at him." Zadan replied. He shot Amias a small glare. "You opened the door for that though."

"What?"

"You said they get to pick who he fights, but you didn't put a limit." Zadan explained. "It won't be cheating for him to face the whole Psycho team and more."

Amias gasped, looking back at the screen. "My gods..."

"And we can't do anything or they'll kill the Winds' Sensei."

"…what have I done?"

ZzZzZ

Kale was morphed when he arrived and ready for anything. He didn't even bat an eyelash at the appearance of all three Knights of Destruction. They were fully armed and at the top of their game. Kale was completely recovered from the last fight and ready to fight. If that was all they were going to throw at him then he had his work cut out for him, but he didn't particularly fear for his life.

He knew each of the Knights well, even if he had never fought all of them together. He had tangles with each of them, but knew Nyus the best. He knew their attacks and defenses and he knew how things were going to start. Nyus was going to taunt him and they would rile each other up before the battle started. That anger would give them both strength, but take away Kale's concentration. If he was going to have a chance he would need to do what they didn't expect.

With a quick movement the Knights could just barely follow, Kale pulled his crossbow, took aim, and put an energy charged bolt right into Alathos' face. The big Knight roared and dug at the bolt, but it was no use. Kale didn't give him a chance to recover. Before Alathos could do anything else Kale nearly cut him in two with a glowing white scythe. Kale back flipped as Alathos exploded and then turned his attention on the other two. Both seemed completely taken off guard and surprised by Kale's uncharacteristic attack.

Kale used it to his advantage. He switched the scythe for the lance and then quickly moved in to attack Mesaus. The golden Knight barely got his shield up in time to deflect the hit, but a strong kick caught him full on the chest and made him stumble. Mesaus caught his balance and saw that the Knight Ranger had instantly moved his attack toward Nyus and left his back wide open. Mesaus pulled his mace and lunged at the Knight Ranger's back, but could only give a startled grunt as he was impaled on the end of the lance. As his feet touched the ground Mesaus jerked himself back and put a hand to the gapping wound.

At the same time Nyus had to jerk the lance out of himself as the Knight Ranger had used Mesaus own momentum to stick him with it. The bronze Knight snarled and shoved the lance in Kale's direction. He wasn't prepared for the lance to bounce harmlessly off and stumbled forward, right into a kick to the head. Nyus went down hard as Mesaus recovered from his shock and attacked again.

Kale spun and in one fluid motion pulled a sickle, side stepped the attack, and hooked his blade under the head of the mace. In another fluid motion Kale spun again and jerked the mace right out of the monster's hand and as he came back around he dug the sickle into Measus's head. The golden Knight stumbled back, screaming with pain and rage, before Kale moved in for the kill.

Unfortunately, Kale had been so focused on Mesaus that he missed Nyus getting up. His head snapped forward and for just a moment his vision blurred from the impact. It cleared quickly enough for him to hear a faint _whooshing _sound and duck. A chakram sailed over his head and imbedded itself in the cliff. Kale spun quickly, swinging his sickle around at the same time and watched as Nyus jumped back.

"Nice moves Knight Ranger." Nyus sneered. "But in about ten minutes it won't matter."

Kale growled, for he knew exactly what Nyus meant. Ten minutes was the recharge time for the Knights before they had enough energy to come back. Ten minutes and Alathos would be back in the battle. The only reason his team had ever defeated the Knights of Destruction was because three new Knight Rangers had made them useless. As many times as they could come back the new Knight Rangers were a wall the Knight monsters couldn't break down. The energy to create a fourth Knight of Destruction would have been too much for their creators limited resources. However, for a time that they had been useful, the Knights of Destruction had been a menace the Knight Rangers had barely overcome. Battles often lasted longer than ten minutes and if one monster was destroyed the other two could hold their own long enough for their fallen brother to return. Now with Kale fighting alone he knew that beating all three of them would be impossible, unless he could somehow contain each Knight's spark.

You can. You have shield generators in your bubble. Nick reminded. You put them there while you were on the ship. 

Kale felt a grin forming on his face. He had a fighting chance and he wasn't going to let that slip out of his fingers. Maybe all his goodbyes had been for nothing.

ZzZzZ

"What's going on?"

Zadan and Amias both jerked in surprise at the voice. They turned quickly to see the three Wind Rangers standing just inside the bridge. All three were looking directly at the main screen. Zadan could see the questions flicker across their faces and spoke up before they could.

"The Psycho Rangers challenged Kale to a fight about two hours ago."

"That's not the Psycho Rangers." Dustin observed.

"Yeah, well genius here is the reason for that." Zadan grumbled. "He wasn't specific enough, that left them open to do whatever they want."

"We have to help him." Tori said, glancing at her teammates for confirmation. There was no hesitation from either boy.

"No." Amias looked down at his hand to ignore their looks of disbelief. "No one can interfere or they'll kill your Sensei."

All three rangers looked suitably upset. Tori was quick to reach another conclusion. "That's why he went. They threatened Sensei's life."

"He knew it was a trap." Zadan confirmed. "He wasn't going to go until they put your Sensei's life on the line."

"Then he went like any good ranger would." Amias said.

"Sometimes I think having ranger instincts is a bad thing." Dustin mumbled.

Everyone turned their attention back to the screen as they watched Kale incapacitate Nyus long enough to deal the fatal blow to Mesaus. Nyus tried to get to his feet but Kale kept him down again, before pulling something out of sub-space. The shield generator hummed to life and in the blink of an eye there was a shield around Mesaus's explosion. A gold spark buzzed around inside.

"Got him!" Amias cheered.

"Wait a minute." Shane spoke up suddenly, catching everyone's attention. "Two hours ago? So when we talked to him in the rec room he knew he was going?"

Amias and Zadan shared a look. "Yeah."

"That's why he looked so sad. He knew he was going into a fight that he might not come out of." Dustin said, a look of realization crossing his face.

"Why didn't he say anything?" Tori asked.

"You'll have to ask him that." Zadan replied. "Though I'm guessing he went to see you to say goodbye in his own way."

"He didn't want emotional goodbyes breaking his concentration." Hunter said as he stepped into the room.

"How do you know?" Dustin asked.

"Because that's how I would have done it."

ZzZzZ

Kale ducked out of instinct and a broad sword flew over his head. He spun down low and swiped upwards with his sickle. Alathos roared with rage before exploding for a second time. Kale rolled away from Nyus's blades as he drew out a shield generator and captured Alathos's spark. That left him with only one monster to deal with, but the one left was the one he feared the most.

Nyus was furious, absolutely outraged with what had happened to his brothers. They weren't destroyed, but they weren't really alive either. It just made him want to torture Kale to death that much more. He pulled his second sickle and held them both ready for the real fight. Had he been able to think clearly he would have realized that lost the fight before it ever began. His anger clouded his mind too much and it effected his judgement. He lunged, swinging both his sickles over his head and down at the infuriating Knight Ranger.

Kale smirked and side stepped the enraged monster. He then swung his battle axe at Nyus's unprotected chest. Nyus swung one sickle down and used it to propel himself over the axe. Kale spun quickly and swung the axe around in an arc toward Nyus's back. The Knight Monster spun, hooking his sickle behind the axe's head, and using the force of his spin to rip the axe out of Kale's grip. He then pulled his small axe and threw it with great force. The axe didn't have far to go so the force with which it hit diminished very little, biting deeply into Kale's shoulder. The Knight Ranger grunted and stumbled back and yanked the axe out of his shoulder.

"I'd tell you to give up Knight Ranger, but in this case that's not an option." Nyus sneered.

"I wouldn't even if I could." Kale snarled in reply.

Kale pulled his mace and the two lunged at each other. Nyus deflected the mace with the shield on his forearm and struck fast and hard with one of his sickles. Kale jerked himself backwards but the damage had been done. The blade had struck one of his ribs hard and cracked it. The pain was distracting added with the wound to his shoulder and he barely got his mace up to block a strike. Unfortunately for him Nyus used the weapon stealing trick again and the next thing he knew his mace was gone and there was a sickle dug deep into his side. He was momentarily too stunned to move and that gave Nyus all the opening he needed. With brutal intention he attacked full force wounding Kale even further, driving the ranger to the ground.

Everything happened so fast. Nyus moved to stand over Kale with one of his sickles raised. Kale sat on the ground bleeding heavily from several serious wounds, too dazed to realize what was going on. His mind was shutting down as his body went numb.

_Kale! _A whole team of voices shouted at the same time.

Something happened that had never happened before. As his mind shut down the ranger powers activated to a whole different level. Kale ceased being aware of what was happening. Nyus watched in disbelief as the Knight Ranger grabbed the sickle that was swung at his head. Nyus continued to stare in surprise as the Knight Ranger looked up at him and he took an involuntary step back when he saw the ranger's visor glowing as if possessed. Not only was the visor glowing, but all the gems on his chest and the one on his forehead were glowing as well.

"What the--?"

Nyus never got to finish. The gems all crackled with power, each matching the color of the gem it was crackling from. Then with a bright flash all the energy swirled together and streamed up to the black gem on the forehead where it all coalesced and then exploded outward. All of it happened so fast that Nyus didn't even get a chance to take a step away. He roared in a mix of rage and agony as his body was blown apart, his spark then captured by a shield generator.

_Kale, are you okay? _Nick questioned.

_Kale? _Valin tried when Nick didn't get an answer.

Kale slowly came back to his senses as his mind once more took over, pushing his ranger instincts to the back. He wasn't sure what had just happened, all he knew was he had won. But the victory was short lived. A kick to the back of Kale's head sent him tumbling forward, but he was quick enough to use the momentum to roll to his feet. He spun and was caught by a sword across the chest that made his suit spark angrily. His reflexes were fast enough to get him away from the next attack and that gave him just enough time to look and see who was attacking him. Not one or two Psycho Rangers, but four of them and not just any four but the four he considered the most dangerous. He'd already tangle with three of them, but he knew that Psycho Purple was just as dangerous as the other three.

"The Knights of Destruction were just a warm-up. Let's see how you fare against us." Gold sneered.

Kale felt his blood turn to ice. With his injuries there was no way he could beat four Psycho Rangers. _I won't go down without a fight._

ZzZzZ

"Look at what you did!" Zadan snarled, glaring at Amias. "If you had kept your big mouth shut he would only be facing one Psycho Ranger! You had to go and open your mouth and left him wide open for unfair odds!"

Amias winced. "How was I supposed to know?"

"You should have just kept your damn mouth shut!"

"Hey! Arguing isn't going to solve anything." Tori rationalized. "If they're ganging up on him, can't we help?"

"No." Zadan replied, teeth gritted and voice thick with anger. "If we do they'll kill your Sensei. All we can do is watch and hope he's strong enough."

ZzZzZ

_I'm not strong enough for this. I can't beat them all. _Kale thought as he desperately tried to put some distance between himself and the four attacking Psychos. It wasn't working. Purple was much too fast for that, not to mention a wound to his leg was making things that much harder. His suit was sparking from the many swipes of her axes he had received, but she had yet to injure him further. He was too focused on her to realize that Psycho Black had gotten in behind him, until two swords raked across his back. That made him stumble right into Purple's axes and that forced him to back into Black again. On the third stumble he let himself drop and roll past Purple causing the two Psychos to attack each other.

_Keep moving Kale, you can't afford to stay still. _Rez advised.

Kale got to his feet and immediately ducked as a sickle flew at his head, but that just left him wide open for another attack. He gasped in tormented surprise as Silver's twin hand blades dug into his stomach, forcing their way all the way through and out his back. He fell to his knees as Silver yanked the blades back and sat on the ground dazed and in an unbelievable amount of pain.

"Look at the mighty Knight Ranger now. Aren't you supposed to be one of the most powerful rangers alive? With a whole team's worth of powers one would think you would be more of a challenge than this." Gold taunted.

Kale bit back a scream of agony as Gold's sickle dug in deep under his collarbones. He was unable to stop the horse cry as the Psycho Ranger then used that to swing him into the air and then back into the ground with agonizing force. He was then flung through the air and into the cliff with enough force to crack the unforgiving rock. Kale slumped against the rock wall and looked at the Psychos with dimming vision.

_If I'm going to die, I'll be damned if I'm not going to take one of these bastards with me. _Kale thought darkly. Black was way too strong and he doubted he could have beaten him if he wasn't severely injured. Gold and Silver were too great of a team. He'd never get a shot at one of them without the other being right there ready to fight. _Purple it is then. Never did like the color._

_Hey! _Max exclaimed.

_I said I didn't like the color. I didn't say that I didn't like the person wearing it. _Kale defended. _Guys...this will probably be it. I...I can't beat them._

_We know _came the unified response.

_Just give it everything you've got and remember that you've got people waiting for you on the other side. _Nick said.

Kale reached down deep and gathered all his strength for one final stand. His eyesight sharpened and despite his injuries he felt his mind clear and energy return to him. He knew it was everything he had; all his strength and life force were being put into this. He pulled his scythe, holding it in a ready stance. The four Psycho Rangers laughed at him, but Kale paid them no mind. His mind was focused on only one thing-Psycho Purple.

She was lithe and agile, not to mention cold-hearted and brutal. Like the rest of her teammates she didn't seem to have a weakness, but Kale knew that wasn't true. Everyone had a weakness and she was no different. He just had to find it. And he prayed that he had the strength and time for that.

He leapt to the side as Gold lunged at him, both sickles swinging for his head. He heard the blades dig into rock and immediately dived as Silver went for the kill. He felt the blades just barely miss and was back to his feet in time to knock away both swords with the pole of his scythe. He then swung it around so that the blade caught Black across the face, sending the mighty warrior to the ground. It was then that Kale made his move on Purple. Instead of being on the defensive he went after her full steam ahead and with no regard for his own safety.

At first Purple wasn't concerned with Kale's attack. She didn't think he was any kind of threat with as injured as he was. She was surprised he could even wield the scythe with both his shoulders so mangled. Yet his ranger powers proved powerful and he was up and still fighting, but she didn't think he was dangerous at all. Until the scythe got past her axes and sent her sparking to the ground. She was on her feet quick enough to deflect all of his next attacks and it was clear that Kale was running out of energy.

No! I won't go down yet. I'm going to take one of them with me if it's the last thing I do! 

Then Kale got an idea. It could give him a chance to survive, but at the same time could seal his doom. He had no other choice though. The ability to physically battle was slipping away. His injuries were too great for him to continue. With the decision in mind he pulled back from the attack and instead did something that completely surprised everyone. With a flash of light he transported right behind Psycho Purple and wrapped one arm around her neck and the other around her stomach, holding her with all the strength he had.

"Hey! Let go of me!" Purple demanded fiercely.

"If I'm going to die, I'm going to take you with me." Kale hissed.

"You and what army?"

"The one inside of me." Kale replied. "This is the end."

Kale quickly reached out to his new teammates back on the ship, wishing he could see them one last time. He reached out for the Wind and Thunder Rangers who would no doubt be upset. And last he reached out beyond the stars already knowing he couldn't possibly reach his brother but still wishing to see him one last time.

"You're a fool Knight Ranger!" Black yelled. "You think holding one of our own hostage is going to help you?"

"No." Kale replied flatly.

"Then what do you hope to accomplish?" Gold sneered.

Kale didn't reply. He tightened his grip on the struggling Psycho Purple and refused to let go even as she elbowed him. With a final silent goodbye to everyone he reached deep into his own mind. With fierce determination he did the one thing he was told to never ever do when he got his power. He attacked the wall where his power was held and put everything he had into doing so. His mind shuddered, the sensation transferring to his body, as the wall began to crumble. The light pulsed as if sensing his intention and with a final brutal attack the wall gave way. Energy spilled out and for the last time his world exploded.

ZzZzZ

Everyone on the bridge gasped as the main screen went completely white forcing them all to look away. Even looking away they could still see the light reflecting around the room for several long minutes. It finally started to fade they all looked back and watched as the scene once more came into view. They were all completely baffled and amazed by what they saw.

All five combatants were laid out on the ground and all of them were demorphed, but that wasn't what immediately caught their attention. Instead they were all focused on the area all around the battlefield. There was an enormous crater where Kale and the demorphed Psycho Purple were laying. It looked as if a meteor had struck. A huge chunk of the cliff rock face had been completely blown out. It looked like some kind of bomb had gone off.

"Oh no."

Everyone started at Tori's voice though it had only been a whisper. All eyes immediately went Kale. He was bleeding from multiple serious wounds and he was unconscious like the other four. Amias ran a quick scan and found four life signs and one of them was fading. He rolled the chair over to another console and transported Kale directly to the infirmary.

ZzZzZ

"Incredible." Red breathed, having watched the whole thing happen.

"There's no way he could have survived that." Blue mused.

"_She _didn't." Green murmured, hand on his chest where his Gem of Power was. The other Psychos, except Blue and Red, had felt Psycho Purple's death. "At least he'll die too."

"And then there won't be a ranger powerful enough to stop us."

ZzZzZ

He hurt. His whole body throbbed in unison, every bit of him aching to just let go. His mind was almost as damaged as his body. His very soul was trembling, but he couldn't go yet. There was one thing he had to do.

"Can't we put him in the healing chamber?" Dustin asked with tears in his eyes.

"He said that the healing chamber won't save a person's life." Hunter replied as he wrapped an arm around Dustin's shoulders.

"There's nothin' we can do for him lad." Kardan said, extremely distressed to have woken up to the sight of Kale dying. It tore him up that he couldn't do anything to save his fellow ranger. "He's dying."

At that Kale's eyes fluttered open. His once vibrant purple eyes were dull with the life fading out of them fast. He didn't have the strength to move and just enough energy to speak.

"Zadan." He whispered. "Niko."

Zadan turned quickly to see that Niko had come to stand behind him. He reached for his friend and pulled the younger boy against him as he saw tears building in his eyes. They were losing him, losing the one they had come to look at as a teammate and a friend. It hurt deeply.

_Niko._

Niko was startled for a moment before he recognized the voice. _Kale? You can't leave us Kale, we need you._

_You have each other. It's time for me to finally join my teammates. _Kale's voice replied just as strong as ever. _But first I need you to connect with Zadan. I need to speak to both of you._

Niko raised an eyebrow, but did as Kale requested. He reached into Zadan's mind so that through him Zadan could hear Kale as well.

_He can hear you now Kale._

Good. I have something to ask of both of you. Kale said, mental voice fading just slightly. I would ask you to become the next Protectors. 

_Both of us? _Zadan asked.

_Both of you. I can think of no one better. I know you two can do it together. _Kale replied. _However, you don't have much time to think about it. If I die before I pass the knowledge on then it will be lost forever and there will be one less Protector when there are already so few._

_I accept. _Niko said without hesitation.

Zadan had to think about it a moment longer, but in the end came to the same conclusion. _I accept as well._

Everyone in the room gasped as Kale's body suddenly began to glow a soft white. The white glow then extended over Zadan and Niko who stood silently staring at their friend. It seemed as if the white was seeping out of Kale and being absorbed by the two younger boys. Then, just as quick as it hard started the last of the white split between the two Psycho Rangers and the glow was gone.

_I leave everything to you two. My ship is yours. Take the Knight Gems and find those worthy of using them. _Kale instructed. _You must not only protect the Gems of Power, but Earth as well. Nothing can happen to this planet, nothing._

_We understand. _Niko said.

All eyes went back to Kale as he gave a deep shuddering gasp. His purple eyes were filled with pain, but there was also a glimmer of something else. As his body relaxed once more he gathered the strength to speak.

"Don't cry for me. I'm finally joining my teammates where I belong." His voice wavered as his strength left him. "You all have it within you to beat Kalix and anything he throws at you. Just have faith and never give...up...hope."

"We'll never forget you." Shane promised.

"Or what you've taught us." Hunter added.

"You can finally be at peace Kale. You've done all you can."

Kale's eyes fluttered and his breathing slowed down. "Good luck rangers and...may...the power protect you..."

And then he was gone.

ZzZzZ

Purple eyes snapped open, the owner sitting up quickly. Something deep inside pained him, a loss so deep it touched his very soul. He looked out of the nearby windows and into the stars above. He knew what it meant. The feeling in his soul could only mean one thing.

_Kale._

His brother was dead.

_I'm sorry Kale. I never came back even with news of our planet's fall. I should have sought you out, but I was afraid. Now I've lost the chance all together. _Purple eyes shut as tears gathered. Then snapped open as a soft wind blew in through the window and caressed his face, a familiar presence laced within the air. He felt reassured and relaxed knowing that his brother was with him. As the wind faded away he felt anger begin to boil inside of him. Someone had dared to kill his brother and that someone was going to pay dearly.


	30. Beginning of the End

He was tired of failing. Tired of following the orders of someone weaker than himself. _He_ was supposed to be the leader. _He_ was the most powerful Psycho Ranger and that made him the most qualified. To the dark depths of space with playing second fiddle to a second rate warrior. Sure their plan to kill the Knight Ranger had succeeded, but they had also lost Psycho Purple. Her loss struck the whole team deeply as they had grown quite close during their time of training. The death of a teammate meant the failure of a mission, regardless of the results. And it was all Psycho Red's fault. If the fool had just surrendered leadership none of it would have happened.

"Samous?"

"What Kyle?" Samous snapped, glancing over his shoulder at the unmorphed Psycho Green.

Kyle's blue eyes hardened at the harsh tone. "I wanted to talk to you."

"About what?"

Kyle hesitated a moment. "You're thinking about doing something drastic."

"What?" Samous growled, surprised at having been caught.

"I know what you're thinking Sam. You can't do it." Kyle continued. He was either unaware of the dark look crossing Samous's face or was choosing to ignore it. "You could kill yourself."

"Mind your own business." Samous growled. "I'll do what I damn well please."

"Think about the team." Kyle tried to reason. "What you plan on doing could destroy everything we've worked so hard for."

"Shut up!" Samous roared. He swung around and punched Kyle with enough force to take the young man down. He glared down into Kyle's wide eyes. "I don't give a damn about the team anymore! I don't care about you, the terrible twosome, or the other lowlifes on the team! Now, get out of my room!"

Kyle scrambled to his feet and made a quick dash out of the room, throwing one last hurt look at Samous. Samous watched him go as the fire died down inside him. For a moment regret flashed through him, but he shoved it away. Caring about his teammates was causing him to get hurt. But no more, because he was done being hurt. Nothing was going to ever hurt him again.

ZzZzZ

The mood on the ship was a somber one. Not everyone had known Kale very well. The three Battle Rangers had just barely begun to get to know him. Amias hadn't been very attached either, but having seen some of the Knight Ranger's darker memories, he had started to respect the older ranger. But all of that was gone. The Battle Rangers couldn't get to know him. Amias's respect couldn't turn into anything more. Kale was gone.

For everyone else the response was much stronger. The rangers were comforting each other having known Kale the longest. Of the six Hunter was the most affected. He had grown close to Kale as they had talked about the deeper aspects of being a ranger on several occasions. It hurt him to think that they would never talk again. The Knight Ranger had been such a well of knowledge and had willingly shared everything he knew with Hunter. Those were the memories that would stick with him for the rest of his life.

But none took it harder than Niko and Zadan. While both were struggling with Kale's death, they were also struggling with the changes that had come over them after accepting the responsibility of being Protectors. Niko had learned much from being in Kale's mind, but by becoming a Protector he had been assaulted with almost all of Kale's memories. Zadan was learning new things about his deceased teammate. Both of them were mourning what had been lost.

To top all of that off only moments after becoming Protectors their bodies had totally rejected the Psycho Ranger powers. Their Gems of Power had appeared in front of them, much to everyone's confusion. They knew what it meant though. As Protectors they could no longer use the Gems of Power for any reason and they quickly realized they didn't want to. Instead they were both turning to their first power, their ranger powers.

"Feels strange, doesn't it? Not to have the Psycho Ranger powers anymore." Niko commented.

Zadan shifted slightly and looked down at his hands. "Feels...lonely."

"Lonely?" Niko looked surprised and glanced at his friend. "Why?"

"Everyone around me still has a teammate. You've got Amias and the three Battle Rangers have each other." Zadan replied. "I've got no one."

"You'll always have me." Niko promised and pulled his friend into a hug. "Always."

"Don't make promises you can't keep."

Niko sighed and didn't reply. Instead he took to running his fingers over the other's scalp, wishing the hair were long so he could play with it. They were both just starting to relax when they felt something shift deep down inside them. It caused them both to gasp and sit up as images of destruction and death flashed through their minds. When they came to their senses again they looked at each other with wide eyes. Something very, very wrong had happened. Whatever it was it had to do with the Gems of Power.

ZzZzZ

The shock wave that rippled through the nearby Gems of Power was enough to render the connected Psychos unconscious. The three from the first team felt the ripple at a smaller dose and only experienced a shock of discomfort. The three brushed it off until Kyle exploded into the command room, having recovered from the shock wave quickly. He tried to explain what had happened, but he was so upset he was barely making any sense. After a moment of annoyance Crimson grabbed the older man and flung him to the ground. Kyle's rambling cut off immediately as anger flashed through him.

"Stop rambling and make some damn sense." Crimson snapped. "What the hell is going on?"

"Samous has absorbed his Gem." Kyle announced. "Can't you feel it?"

Frowning, the three original Psychos exchanged a look. They could feel something, a greater power within the Gems, but it didn't make sense. All they had ever done was harness power from the Gems to morph and give them power attacks and all that. This was different. Someone wasn't harnessing the power, they were absorbing it. Judging from what Kyle was saying that someone was Samous and he was becoming more powerful by the moment.

"He's crazy." Kyle murmured. "He doesn't care about anything anymore. He's going to kill us all with is foolishness."

"This isn't good." Blue frowned, looking at Red. "What are we going to do Dariv?"

"He's still adjusting to the power." Red mused. He cast a quick glance at Kyle. "Go get the other Psychos and meet us at Samous's room. We have to kill the crazy fool before he's ready to kill us."

"Right." Kyle nodded and scrambled to his feet.

Crimson cast a look at Red. "This isn't going to go well."

"When have things gone well for us?" Red retorted bitterly. He quickly blocked out those feelings and stood up. "C'mon we've got to get to Samous before it's too late."

ZzZzZ

Samous gasped. It felt like his whole body was on fire. Not just on fire, but burning from the inside out. He almost expected to see his skin melting away, except he couldn't see a thing. His eyes were so tightly squeezed shut that lights flickered behind his eyelids. He felt as if he were going to melt into one big puddle of bubbling goo at any moment and was seriously beginning to regret accepting the Gem into his body. But he couldn't take it back, only grit his teeth and wait for it to end.

Suddenly the fire was replaced with the cooling sense of power. Every cell in his body felt energized. He felt more alive than ever before and reached out with all his heart and soul, absorbing as much of the cool energy that he could. The sensation made his head swim, but it felt so good he couldn't stop himself. Abruptly his body seemed to sense itself reaching a limit and stopped the flow of power, though he could feel so much more just beyond his reach. He was smart enough not to reach for it, unsure of what kind of effect that would have on him. From what he was feeling, he didn't need more power.

Then he felt something. Movement nearby stirred the air and he snapped to his senses just in time to grab the fist aimed for his face. With a snarl of rage he squeezed the hand with unnatural strength, enjoying the sound of bone crunching, and swung his attacker around and into the wall. Rage filled him to the breaking point as he looked around and saw his teammates standing around him looking ready to fight.

Crimson felt his eyes widen behind his helmet. Samous's eyes had changed. They had once been a cool gray, but no more. What stared back at them was emotionless, pulsing white eyes that betrayed the amount of power held within the man's body. They didn't need evidence of the power though. Every Psycho Ranger in the room could feel the power radiating from Samous as if it were heat from a fire. Never had they felt anything so powerful.

"You dare attack me?" Samous boomed, his voice as distorted as it usually was when morphed.

"Holy shit." Silver gasped, taking a step back. He got back into his stance with a slap to the back of the head from Gold, but he had spoken what was on all their minds.

"Bow before me and swear your allegiance." Samous ordered.

"Snap out of it Sam, this isn't--."

Samous turned to Psycho Gray and the look on his face caused her to pause mid sentence. Without warning he raised his hand, palm up, and pointed it right at her. Everyone knew what was coming next, but none of them could move fast enough to stop it. Pure energy shot from the open palm, concentrated into an arrow of sorts, which went straight through Psycho Gray's armor. She gasped and stiffened before she fell to the ground and demorphed. The bolt had gone straight through her heart. She was dead.

A wave of shock went through the Psychos, especially her teammates as they felt her death. Psycho Bronze whimpered softly at her loss. _How could he have killed her so heartlessly? Dani...I'm sorry._ Bronze looked up at Samous, rage filling his entire being as he tensed to attack. A firm grip on his shoulder kept him in place and he glanced over to see Psycho Teal had grabbed his shoulder.

_Don't do anything hasty, Garnes. We don't stand a chance against him now. _Teal's calm voice spoke in his mind.

_But he killed Dani. I'm going to kill the bastard Brandon. _Bronze snarled in reply.

_When the time is right. _Teal agreed. _For now we should play along. A frontal assault will never work against him._

Bronze growled, but settled into his place as Samous's pulsing gaze swept around the room. The man that had once been their leader was gone. Something new and terrible had taken his place, something that was completely unlike the man they had known. The man before them was a monster.

"All of you, swear your allegiance to me or die." Samous boomed.

Psycho Red pulled himself up from where he had been slumped against the wall. His hand was throbbing and he was sure more than just a few bones were broken. But his will wasn't broken and he wasn't going to bow to anyone anymore. He moved towards the ring of Psychos and stepped so that he was facing Samous.

"We won't bow to anyone again. Power doesn't make you a leader Samous and--."

The gathered Psychos all gasped. No one had seen Samous move and yet he was suddenly holding Red by the throat. Red was squirming and kicking, but Samous possessed a supernatural strength that nothing could break. Crimson moved to help his teammate, but was swatted away with frightening ease. Blue tensed to do the same, but Green laid a hand on her shoulder.

_Don't._

Blue didn't want to listen to the quiet command, but she knew she was nothing compared to Samous. She didn't stand a chance and her death wasn't going to help Red. Nothing could help Red. He was at the mercy of a madman and it was becoming apparent that Samous didn't have any mercy. Red was going to have to save himself. Apparently Red figured that out for himself as Samous was forced to release him due to the incredible amount of energy Red zapped him with. He didn't get far as Samous kicked him in the chest sending him flying into Gold and Silver who easily caught their fellow Psycho.

_This is getting bad. What do we do? _Silver asked, panicking slightly.

_I don't know. This is...I don't know what to do about this._

ZzZzZ

"This couldn't be any worse." Zadan said to the gathered audience, voice tinged with panic. "Samous has successfully absorbed his Gem of Power. That makes him a bigger threat than Kalix at the moment."

"Makes you wonder if Kalix is a threat anymore." Kardan mused.

"Who knows, but one things for sure Samous is now a huge threat." Niko said.

Zadan nodded. "He's got enough power to blow Earth apart and I'm talking to pieces."

Horrified silence followed the statement. The Winds looked startled, while Hunter's expression was quickly turning to one of annoyance. Blake was giving his brother a weary look as if he knew what the problem was. Niko cocked an eyebrow, curious what seemed to be bothering the older Thunder.

"Hunter?" Niko called, trying to get the older boy's attention.

Hunter looked at him, frowning. "When did this all get so out of control?"

"Seems like it's been months now." Tori said. "Everything went downhill so quickly."

"I want to know when things are going to start getting better." Shane spoke up. "It's all too much for us."

"I think you're severely underestimating yourselves." Kardan said. He sighed and closed his eyes. "Have you learned nothing over these past few weeks?"

"Like what? How to get our butts kicked?" Hunter snapped, way past being irritated with everything. "Just once I'd like for us to have the advantage."

Kardan and Harper glanced at each other before Harper spoke up. "I hate to tell you this Hunter, but it's very likely things are going to get much, much worse before they ever get better."

"You all are going to have to have faith in everyone around you. You're going to have to believe in your teammates and your allies." Kardan continued. "The only way to get through this is together."

"It's hopeless." Hunter said, earning surprised looks from all his teammates. It wasn't like Hunter to give up on anything. "We don't stand a chance against--."

Hunter was cut off by a punch to the face. Everyone went completely silent; no one even dared to breathe. Blake gave his brother an angry look that startled everyone. Hunter himself stared in shock at his little brother having never expected Blake to hit him like that. Then rage began to overcome the shock and everyone feared he'd strike Blake back, but gradually the anger faded to a rather hurt expression. Seeing that he wasn't going to get hit in return everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Blake hadn't even flinched at the rage and wasn't fazed by the hurt expression either. "You deserved that. If I ever hear you saying anything like that again I won't hesitate to knock some sense into you." The hurt began to leave Hunter's face as Blake went on. "We all need to be strong and believe in one another. If you think its hopeless then you doubt us, you doubt me, and that hurts more than that punch did."

"I don't doubt you Blake." Hunter argued.

"Sure sounded like it to me." Blake replied, crossing his arms in a very Hunter-like fashion. "If we lose it'll be because you failed the team."

The room gasped collectively. Hunter took a step back from Blake, eyes wide. _What's come over him? Why is he being so vicious?_ It was totally unlike Blake to say anything so cruel.

"Blake--."

"I think you should go think about how you see this team Hunter. If you can't believe in us you'll only bring the team down."

"Blake!" Tori exclaimed, completely blown away by his behavior.

Hunter stared at his brother's hard eyes, unable to believe it was his little brother saying those things to him. When Blake only continued to glare back Hunter made a soft sound of distress before he turned and fled the room. The room was silent and everyone could only watch in silence as Blake followed his brother's lead. The three Winds looked to Cam for an explanation, but the Samurai just shrugged. No one was sure what had just happened, but it didn't look good.

ZzZzZ

"Samous stop!" Blue pleaded.

Samous was beating the life out of Red. The Psycho Ranger was still morphed, but it didn't seem to matter. All of Samous's attacks either dented or went straight through the armor. Half of Red's helmet was shattered leaving the whole left side of his face exposed and it was all covered in blood. Both his arms were broken from trying to defend himself. Almost all of his ribs had been shattered on his left side and had punctured a lung. He was bleeding internally and his back had almost been broken from a harsh kick. Red was too far gone and his healing abilities could only do so much.

"This is an example to all of you! Join me or die!" Samous roared.

Crimson made another move to help Red, but a brutal backhand dented his chest plate and cracked three ribs. He lay on the ground wheezing, unable to do anything as Samous prepared to give Red a final blow. _Dariv. I'm sorry._

_Not...your fault. _Dariv replied, his mental voice weak. _Just promise me one thing._

_Anything._

_Go home and make things right. Unite our two people. Bring peace to the world._

_I'll do everything I can. I promise_

_Aurias._

_Yes Dariv?_

_I love you._

Aurias gasped. _I love you too! Don't you dare leave me now!_

_I'm...sorry..._

Samous lifted Red with one big fist wrapped around the Psycho's face. White energy pooled at Samous's fingertips and made it look like he had claws. Every Psycho in the room gasped as they figured out his plan, but knew they could do nothing to stop him. A positively sinister smile crossed the madman's face as he pulled his free hand back and then plunged it forward. The energy claws tore right through Red's chest plate and into the flesh below. Red gave a soft, weak cry of agony as Samous's claws sliced through shattered ribs and grabbed his still beating heart. Samous gave a cruel smirk before squeezing his fist closed. Red's whole body spasmed once before going completely limp. Samous pulled his bloody hand back and let the demorphed body of his ex-teammate fall to the ground.

Blue fell to her knees as tears filled her eyes. _Dariv! How could you confess your love to me and then die?_

"Now, all of you kneel and swear fealty to me or suffer the same fate." Samous demanded with a maniacal gleam in his eyes.

_Everyone do it_. Crimson ordered. 

Samous watched with glee as all the Psychos kneeled before him. _No one can stand up to my might now! Earth will fall and Kalix's empire will be mine!_

ZzZzZ

Niko gasped and put a hand to his heart as pain flashed through him. He looked toward Zadan and saw his friend doing the same. They knew what that meant. They knew who it was.

"Dariv." Niko whispered. Everyone still on the bridge looked at him. "Samous killed him."

"Psycho Red is dead?" Shane asked.

Zadan nodded. "I can feel Terik and Aurias's distress." He frowned and put a hand to his head. "This is too much."

Zadan left the bridge with Niko hot on his tail. Everyone else was left in silence. They didn't understand everything that the two ex-Psychos had been talking about. The only thing that was clear was that Samous had killed Psycho Red. They also understood that things had just gone from bad to much, much worse.

"Bloody hell."


	31. Everyone VS Samous

Terik stuck his head out of his room and glanced down the hall. All was silent with no dedians or lizarians patrolling. It wasn't them he was worried about. Not seeing any of his comrades he slipped out the door and stalked down the hall a little ways to another door. He pushed a button and waited patiently as he heard the sound of someone stirring within. A moment later the door slid open and Aurias blinked sleepily at him.

"Terik, what--?"

"Shhhh." He hissed, glancing around warily. "Can I come in?"

Aurias blinked at him again before stepping back and motioning him inside. He took one quick look around before following her inside. She raised an eyebrow curiously. Terik wasn't one to get nervous. There were very few times she had ever seen him nervous about anything and those were always times when something big was happening. With Samous's sudden and frightening rise to power Terik had a lot to be nervous about.

"What was so important you had to wake me up?" Aurias asked.

Terik hesitated for a moment, big golden eyes searching her own green ones. He was looking for confirmation of something. After a long silence he seemed satisfied and broke eye contact.

"I'm leaving Aurias." Terik said.

Aurias gasped. "What?"

"I'm not staying here. I can't and won't follow that psychopath." Terik explained.

"Where will you go?"

Terik hesitated again, but not as long as before. "Samous has to be stopped."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"I'll do whatever it takes to stop him."

"Why are you avoiding my question?" Aurias demanded with a glare. Then it struck her like a ton of bricks. Her eyes widened and disbelief crossed her face. "Are you kidding me?"

"They're the only hope against him Aurias, but they're going to need all the help they can get." Terik said.

Aurias snorted. "I can't believe you're considering helping the rangers!"

"Shhhhhhh!" Terik hissed fiercely. Now she understood why he was so nervous. "Listen, the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

"But it's the rangers!"

"And I'm willing to do what I have to in order to defeat Samous." Terik replied. His look turned fierce, eyes narrowing. "Are you going to stay here and follow orders from the one that killed our teammate?"

Anger flashed through Aurias as the image of Dariv's final moments. "No, Samous has to be stopped."

"Then we have no other choice." Terik said with firm resolution. "Tomorrow when he makes his move, we make ours."

ZzZzZ

Cam bit back a yawn as he glanced up at Sizvu. The quiet and anti-social ranger was still working as if he wasn't bothered by the late hour. Cam could usually do fairly well staying up late working on projects, but he just didn't have the energy for it recently. The constant fighting and worrying about injured or even bickering teammates was beginning to have consequences. He feared he was becoming more of a hindrance to Sizvu rather than helping.

"Go to bed." Sizvu said gruffly. Cam frowned and opened his mouth to retort, but was cut off before he could start. "Look lad, I appreciate the help you've given me so far, but you'll not do anyone any good if you're not up to full strength tomorrow."

"Oh, well, I guess you're right."

"Of course I am. I'm older and wiser." Sizvu said, flashing a brief smile. He became serious again. "Go to bed Cam, I can manage without ya."

"Good night Sizvu."

"Good night Cam."

ZzZzZ

Dustin sighed and blinked at the ceiling. He had been trying to sleep for hours, but something was keeping him awake. He had a feeling in the pit of his stomach and it wasn't a good one. It was a sense of foreboding. It had started shortly after Blake's cruel treatment of Hunter and it had only gotten worse ever since. Something big was going to happen tomorrow and something told him it wasn't going to be good.

ZzZzZ

Hunter growled and lashed out at the punching bag. He performed a series of vicious moves as he expressed his inner turmoil. On one hand he was seriously pissed off from what Blake had said to him. He couldn't believe his brother's nerve saying those things to him. What had been the point? All it had done was made him absolutely furious.

Except, as much as he wanted to deny it, deep down inside Blake's words had hurt. Blake had struck a nerve and then just kept going. He didn't want to believe what Blake had said, but he was smart enough to know that he wouldn't be as angry or as hurt if Blake hadn't been right. He needed to trust the team otherwise he was no good to them. But they were up against overwhelming odds that just seemed to be getting worse and worse. First it was Psycho Rangers. Then they found out that Kalix was a bigger threat than Lothor. Then just when things were looking up with two of the Psychos going good Kalix got his claws on eight more Gems of Power and that brought more Psycho Rangers. Now one of the most dangerous Psychos had absorbed his Gem and was ten times more dangerous than anything previously. How were they supposed to overcome odds like that? Instead of getting better things were just getting worse.

"Your negativity is a weakness."

Hunter spun at the sound of the voice and glared at Harper. "I don't remember asking for company."

"I don't remember asking for someone to bang on a punching bag all night right next to my room either." Harper replied. "I came to tell you to shut up and go to bed, but seeing the look on your face I thought a little advice was needed."

"I don't need advice." Hunter snapped.

"No, what you need is a rude wake up call, but I don't think anyone else deserves to suffer that with you."

"If you're going to lecture me go back to bed. I'll stop beating on the bag." Hunter grumbled.

Harper rolled his eyes. "You know, for someone whose team needs all the help they can get you sure are unappreciative of those willing to help."

"I didn't ask for help."

"Doesn't mean you don't need it." Harper replied. "Obviously you're in need of some kind of help, because that attitude of yours is even driving your brother away."

Hunter didn't reply and his eyes fell to the ground as he remembered Blake's words.

"Look, just because a situation appears hopeless, doesn't mean it is." Harper said. "What we're all facing are unbelievable odds, but we always have a chance as long as we don't give up, have faith in ourselves and those around us, and keep the hope alive."

"It's just..." Hunter hesitated with a sigh. "It's getting so hard to stay positive when things keep getting worse."

"Hunter, being Rangers means that we'll always be up against seemingly unbeatable odds. We're the ones that have to stand up against forces like Kalix and protect the innocent people and preserve all that's good in the universe." Harper said. He smiled slightly as Hunter's expression began to change. "We're not heroes because of the power we hold or the weapons we carry. We're heroes because we put our lives on the line for others when our own chances of survival are close to zip. We're heroes because when the odds are against us and nothing seems to be going right we never give up and never surrender." He steeped forward and put a hand on Hunter's shoulder, looking into the Thunder Ninja's darkened eyes. "Now it's time you prove if you're worthy of calling yourself a Ranger or not."

Hunter watched as the older man turned and left the room. His thoughts were running in circles, but he was quickly coming to only one conclusion. He was worthy of being a Ranger. He knew it deep down in his soul that he was worthy and he was going to prove it.

ZzZzZ

"You didn't have to be so cruel to Hunter earlier."

Blake sighed and pulled away from Tori slightly. They were lying together on his bed, just enjoying each other's presence. "I have my reasons. You'll see."

"I hope so. I've never heard you sound that mean before. Not even when you guys were helping Lothor."

"I know my brother. He'll get the message I was sending him loud and clear." Blake replied, pulling her close to him once more. "Trust me."

"I do." Tori replied, bringing her hand up to caress his arm. She leaned back against his chest as if proving her trust to him. And they stayed that way for the rest of the night, both sleeping peacefully.

ZzZzZ

"What are we going to do?" Brandon asked, leaning back in the rec. room's recliner. "We can't follow that maniac."

"Why not? He might lead us further than anyone else." Sid replied.

"And he could kill us without a thought if we fail him."

"He's right Sid, we have to get rid of Samous somehow." Chris spoke up. He fiddled with the gold bracelet around his wrist. "We need a plan."

Everyone looked to Kyle. He had been their leader for three years before Samous joined them. It seemed only fitting to turn to him once more for answers. Kyle lowered his eyes away from their stares. He could remember how he had lost the leadership to Samous in the first place. _Hana. _The death of a teammate had been difficult, but knowing it had been his fault was even worse. Kalix had stripped him of his leadership and given it to Samous, though Dani had told him more than once she would have preferred he still be leader. Kyle didn't think it was a good idea for him to lead the team.

"Garnes, you're the oldest. What do you suggest?" Kyle asked.

The bald man looked slightly surprised, but answered nonetheless. "Lay low until the opportune moment."

"Maybe we should set Kalix free. Maybe he would know what to do." Brandon suggested. He shifted uncomfortably at the glares sent his way.

"Yeah, like he'll be very understanding. He'd probably let Samous have his way with us." Chris grumbled. "Not only that, Kalix doesn't stand a chance against Samous."

"None of us do." Sid added. "What chance do we have against such ruthless power?"

Chris looked at his friend for a moment, blue eyes narrowed, before he reached over and punched him square in the jaw. Sid jerked back, hand on his cheek, and turned a glare to his comrade. Both growled, a low menacing sound that would have frightened anyone else. The rest of the Psychos watched with slight amusement as they were used to their comrades' antics.

"Why'd you hit me?" Sid demanded.

"You needed it."

Sid opened his mouth to object, but suddenly realized exactly why his friend had hit him. "No kidding I needed it. I can't believe I just implied we don't have a chance against Samous."

"That's nothing like the cocky, arrogant jackass we all know and love." Chris said, laughing as Sid punched him solidly in the shoulder.

Kyle rolled his eyes. "You two will never grow up, will you?"

"Nope." The 'Terrible Twosome' replied in unison.

Kyle opened his mouth to say something more when the door into the rec. room hissed open. Terik and Aurias both stumbled inside and were followed by Samous. Everyone stood up immediately and prepared to defend themselves if necessary. Samous sneered at them, glowing white eyes sweeping over the room with obvious boredom. He didn't even seem bothered by the fact that his former teammates were all gathered talking while they should have been sleeping. If he knew they were plotting against him he certainly didn't seem bothered by it.

"We attack now. Morph and get to the transport room." Samous ordered. He turned and left the room.

The rest of the Psychos glanced around at each other. All of them had the same feeling of trepidation. It was a feeling of finality. Whatever happened, this battle was it. They would either win or lose, one meant life and the other meant death. This was what they had trained for, but that didn't prepare them. Nothing could prepare them.

ZzZzZ

Niko snapped awake and sat up in bed. Beside him Zadan followed suit. They looked at one another with the same expression of dread.

"Samous." Zadan said.

"The others as well." Niko confirmed. "This is it, isn't it? We'll either survive this or we won't."

"We'll survive." Zadan said firmly. He rubbed his hand down Niko's back and then gave a gentle push. "Get dressed. The alarms will be going off any minute."

No sooner had the words passed from his lips the alarms blazed to life. Lights that had been turned off flashed on in a deep red that symbolized the seriousness of the emergency. The two ex-Psycho Rangers quickly got dressed and left the room, falling into step behind the march of rangers to the bridge. Once they were all there Harper brought up the emergency on the view screen. None of them were too surprised to see the remaining Psycho Rangers there.

"Okay everyone. All the Psycho Rangers are a threat but be especially careful of Samous." Zadan said. "Let Niko and I handle him. No one challenges Samous unless there's no avoiding it."

"What makes you think you guys can take him?" Hunter asked.

"It's not a matter of if we think we can take him. As the Protectors of the Gems of Power we have to right the wrong that has been done when he absorbed the Gem." Zadan explained.

"It's our duty." Niko confirmed.

"Fine then. We'll all stay away from Samous." Shane consented. "Everybody ready?"

"As we'll ever be." Hunter confirmed.

"Ninja Storm, Ranger Form! HA!"

"Thunder Storm, Ranger Form! HA!"

"Samurai Storm, Ranger Form! HA!"

"Battle Rangers, Battle Ready!"

"Solar Ranger, Flare Up!"

"Hyper Force, power up!"

There was an amazing display of light and sound as all the rangers morphed at once. The power that surged through the room was invigorating, but short lived. As it died down they were once more left with the knowledge that the biggest battle of their lives awaited them. There was a quick round of good lucks before everyone except Sizvu transported away. Sizvu stood in the bridge room for a moment, vaguely reminded of the last true battle of the Battle Rangers. That hadn't ended well and he just hoped with all his heart that this one turned out better.

ZzZzZ

"No more playing around." Samous boomed as he watched the large group of rangers appear. "Finish it."

"Yes sir!"

The Psychos charged without any of the usual taunting. There seemed to be a bit of confusion at first about who would go after whom, but some quick mental arguing worked that out.

Cam raised his saber to block both of Psycho Green's sabers and received a vicious kick to the chest. As he stumbled back he struggled to keep up with both of Green's weapons. Only having one saber put him at a severe disadvantage. His only chance was to rid his opponent of one of the sabers. He ducked low as both sabers whistled over his head. As he came back up he swung his saber as hard as he could at Green's wrist. There were sparks at the impact and Green dropped the saber, pulling his hurt wrist to his chest. Cam made a quick move and kicked Green's saber across the battlefield so that his foe couldn't pick it back up. Green growled at the loss of his advantage, but continued the fight nonetheless. With the odds evened Cam began to take the lead of the fight, going on the offensive while Green was forced into a defensive pattern.

Crimson went straight for Hunter, but found himself fighting Shane as well. He was used to Hunter's fighting styles and techniques, but Shane was just different enough to throw him off his game. He struggled to keep up with them both as his internal conflicts boiled to a fever pitch.

Blue was walking all over Tori as usual. The fear that the Psycho had instilled in the Blue Ranger was still as strong as ever. Whenever Tori looked at Blue all she could think of was the glowing visor that haunted her nightmares. Blue was using the fear to her advantage, beating Tori into the ground as if she were nothing. But even through her fear Tori was able to defend herself well enough to fend off any fatal blows. Her suit was absorbing a lot of blows, but nothing too damaging was being done.

Blake jumped back and watched as Teal's mace dug deep into the ground. The taller Psycho yanked the weapon back up and knocked Blake's staff to the side. Blake stepped back to avoid a kick to his chest and instantly regretted the move. That little action set him on the path of defense instead of his preferred offense. He continued to move back and avoid as many of Teal's strikes as he could as he analyzed his enemy. Something about the fighting style was too familiar. Then it clicked suddenly as he ducked a swipe of the mace and swung his staff at the Psycho's face, making Teal take a step back.

"You're a Wind Ninja." Blake said as Teal lunged at him again.

"How observant of you." Teal sneered. "Took you long enough."

"How could you turn against your teachings?"

"Some things are more important than trivial teachings from senile old men." Teal retorted.

"Like what?" Blake snarled, angered at having any Sensei called a senile old man.

"Power."

"How did I know you were going to say that?" Blake grumbled, dodging the mace with ease.

"Because deep down inside you seek power as well." Teal replied.

Blake snarled and threw a bolt of navy lightning at his enemy. Teal laughed and batted it away with ease. Blake lunged at him and Teal laughed harder as he swung the mace right into Blake's chest. Blake was sent tumbling backwards and came to a stop with a dull thump as his body flopped limply on the ground.

Kardan grunted as he was smacked roughly to the ground. He rolled as Bronze tried to step down on him and listened as Harper jumped into the fight. Bronze swung around and caught Harper with a fist to the stomach. Harper fell to the ground, winded, and cried out as Bronze stepped down on his back. Kardan got to his feet and lunged to knock Bronze away from his teammate, but was smacked to the ground again. Harper snarled angrily, eyes changing colors though it was hidden behind his helmet. With a roar he pushed himself upward, unbalancing Bronze. He twisted easily and pulled his blaster, shooting Bronze three times in the chest. The Psycho Ranger fell backwards as Kardan pulled Harper to his feet.

"Okay there?" Kardan asked.

"As okay as I can be with a psychotic Psycho Ranger after us." Harper replied.

Any further conversation was cut off as Bronze got back into the fight again.

Amias was battling it out with Psycho Gold, sword against sickles. All the weapons were just flashes of light bouncing off of metal as they fought furiously. A slip up by either one of them would mean the end of the fight. Amias was younger and had less training, but he had more field experience than Gold. It didn't seem like much of an advantage until an explosion shift Gold's attention just enough to give Amias an opening. Amias drove his sword forward and into Gold's shoulder. Psycho Gold jumped back from the blade as a hand went to his shoulder.

Only a short ways away Dustin was fighting against Psycho Silver and having quite a bit more trouble. While Dustin was a skilled fighter and more than capable of holding his own, Silver was ruthless and reckless enough to do anything just to hurt Dustin. Dustin had already lost his sword and using his Lion Hammer made him too slow. As he dodged another of Silver's vicious attacks he summoned his dragon-dual sabers. He watched as Silver froze, taking in the new weapon with interest. Dustin pulled it apart revealing to two blades within and felt a little bit of power trickle through him. Silver cocked his head, watching the spark of energy that traveled from the hilt to the tip of each blade.

"So you've got some flashy blades. Won't save you Yellow Ranger." Silver taunted. "Why don't you just give up and let me kill you quick and easy."

"Rangers don't give up." Dustin replied defiantly.

"So you say now, but we'll see how quickly you change your mind."

And a little ways away from everyone else Niko and Zadan stood ready to challenge Samous. Samous was watching them with blazing white eyes, his hatred almost visibly boiling off of him. Niko shifted slightly toward Zadan. He had been faced with a brutal beating at Samous's hands once before, but now his enemy had even more power than before. His strength and speed far outweighed their own and they could feel his power was unmatched by anything on Earth, except for one.

Do we risk it? Niko asked.

Zadan shook his head. _No, he locked himself away for a reason Niko. Besides, we don't need him._

How do you figure? We're certainly no match for Samous now. Niko argued.

Don't give up already Niko. The power we've been given as Protectors might be enough.

Niko was skeptical, but didn't say anything else. He pulled his staff, shifting it in his hands for a moment as he reacquainted himself with the weight and feel of his old quarterstaff. Following his lead, Zadan pulled his scythe and twirled it expertly before falling into a fighting stance. Neither of them got a chance to attack. Samous lifted one hand and a shockwave of energy knocked both rangers off their feet as their suits crackled and sparked.

You were saying.

Zadan didn't reply to Niko's bait. Instead he pulled himself back to his feet and gasped as he found himself face to face with Samous. He couldn't move fast enough as Samous hit him hard enough to send him flying backwards into Psycho Teal. The breath was knocked out of the Solar Ranger and he was unable to get to his feet as quickly as before.

Niko sensed Samous coming and instinctively ducked. Samous's fist sailed over his head, but the insane man spun with unnatural speed and kicked Niko powerfully in the back. Niko hit the ground hard as agony flared through his body. Despite the pain he was in he rolled to the side and felt the ground shake as Samous's boot made a small crater in the ground. Niko rolled again and used a burst of energy to get to his feet only to get caught with an energy blast that sent him flying to collide with Psycho Green.

The whole battlefield went completely still as all eyes shifted to Samous. The Psycho Rangers all looked at each other before looking back at the man that had once been their friend. Samous was acting without a thought towards them. He was throwing his own enemies right at them and causing them to make fatal mistakes. On top of that, none of them were sure they wanted to see Samous win.

I'm not doing this anymore. Crimson finally spoke to everyone. _I'm going to make sure this bastard goes down today._

Crimson finally spoke to everyone. 

How do you plan on doing that? Green demanded.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

You're going to join forces with the Rangers! Silver exclaimed.

Crimson turned to look at the younger Psycho and his visor flashed. _I'm going to do what I have to in order to make sure Samous doesn't win. _

The Rangers alone can't do it and we alone can't do it. Only together are we going to be able to take Samous down. Blue admitted, though everyone could tell it hurt her a great deal.

"What are you doing! Keep fighting!" Samous roared.

The Rangers all tensed, expecting the attack to resume. What they got was a major surprise. Silver zipped behind Samous and made to stab him in the back, but Samous spun and backhanded the younger Psycho with great force. Gold moved next, bringing his sickles down at Samous's back, but again Samous spun and this time blasted Gold midair causing the Psycho to go flying backwards. Crimson and Blue attacked at the same time and moved with practiced ease. Samous seemed completely untouchable even as the other Psychos moved in to help. Bronze managed to land a blow to Samous's back and that seemed to be the final straw. A shockwave of power blasted all the Psychos off their feet and they all landed at least ten feet away from them.

The big surprise came when Hunter stood his ground and caught Psycho Blue as she flew toward him. He blinked down at her just as surprised as everyone else that he had caught the Psycho. He could feel energy still crackling around her as he set her feet back on the ground. She stood a bit wobbly and faced Samous again.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." She repeated Crimson's words from earlier softly.

"What?" Hunter was shocked.

Blue didn't reply and instead launched herself at Samous again. The Holder didn't even look at her as he caught her with one hand around her throat. Instantly Crimson was on his feet and lunged to help Blue, but was kicked solidly in the chest, violently stopping his forward momentum. Samous stepped down on his chest and squeezed Blue's throat. Silver lunged with both sets of hand blades aimed for Samous's neck. Samous caught one of Silver's wrists in a vice like grip and swung the younger man down into the ground with enough force to make a small crater.

Psycho Gold roared like a beast and charged Samous without a thought. Samous turned and aimed what would have been a killing blast at Gold's face. Suddenly an ice wall seemed to pop out of the ground and the energy struck it instead. As the ice blew apart Gold was revealed being held back by a familiar white ranger.

"Sebastien!" Dustin exclaimed, happy to see his newest teammate alive and well.

Sebastien gave Dustin a nod, but kept his attention focused on the threat in front of him. He released his struggling enemy and ducked as Gold swung at him. He then came up with an upper cut that lifted Gold right off his feet.

"Stop that." Sebastien hissed. "For the moment we have a common enemy that we need to focus on."

"I don't want your help." Gold snarled, visor flashing.

Sebastien shrugged. "Your loss. But I did just save your life Goldie. Maybe you should think about that."

Without another word Sebastien turned and thrust both of his hands toward Samous. Instantly ice flew from his palms and consumed the powerful man. Blue was able to break out of his grip and Crimson was able to get away too. They both stumbled a few feet away before the ice around Samous shattered and blew apart. Instantly Samous sent a bolt of energy straight at Sebastien, but he Ice Ranger was knocked out of the way. He caught his balance and looked to find that it was Gold who had saved him, much to everyone's surprise including Gold.

"Don't call me Goldie."

Sebastien smirked. "Whatever you say."

Gold turned and zipped over to where Silver was forcing himself to his feet. Sebastien watched them for a moment before streaking over to his own teammates where he received a warm welcome, even a slight pat on the back from Hunter. Then they all watched as the Psycho Rangers tried to regroup as well, both sides thinking over their strategies.

Got any good ideas over there?

Niko jumped at the voice in his head and looked around his companions. Everyone else seemed slightly startled by their body language. None of them had anticipated Crimson talking to them.

Not really. You? Niko replied.

We've got nothing. He's unbeatable.

No one's unbeatable. There's got to be a way. Zadan argued.

We haven't tried both teams attacking at once. Blue suggested.

The plan was silently agreed upon. All the rangers and Psycho Rangers charged at the same time. Any monster would have fallen under the combined attack. Samous made it look like flies attacking a dinosaur. An observer would have said that Samous didn't even move, but everyone involved in the battle knew differently. Kicks, punches, degrading slaps all flew at what seemed like hyper speed. No one saw him move but within the blink of an eye everyone was laid out on the ground moaning in pain.

"Pathetic." Samous snarled. He cast hateful looks around at the Psycho Rangers who laid moaning amongst the Rangers. "Traitors will not be tolerated!"

Bronze rumbled to his feet. Anger flared within him. He wasn't used to being bashed around and it seriously pissed him off. He grabbed his pike from where it had fallen and threw it at Samous. The pike stopped in the air, turned, and flew straight back at Bronze with ten times the power. Bronze grunted as the pike drove straight through the center of his chest and out of his back, severing his spinal cord as it went. His body flopped limply to the ground and he was unable to escape as Samous appeared beside him as if he had been there all along.

"For your betrayal I sentence you to death." Samous boomed.

"NO!" Bronze's teammates cried out.

None of them could have moved fast enough to save him. Samous jerked the pike out and then slammed it back down into Bronze's heart. Bronze's upper body jerked a few times before he went completely limp as he demorphed. His death struck his teammates deeply as none of them had been prepared for it. The Rangers felt their resolve harden. They didn't want to see any of their own side fall.

Dustin stared in horror at the dead body of what had been an enemy. It was terrifying how easily Samous had struck down the brute of a warrior Psycho Bronze. How could they beat such an untouchable foe? Bronze was the only one who had managed to strike Samous and suddenly he was dead. Something drastic had to happen. Something to turn the tides, but what? They were all out of allies, save for Sizvu who was no doubt doing something to help, and apparently they were all out of ideas.

Suddenly the Tiger Gauntlet materialized and Hunter fired a bolt of crimson energy straight at Samous's head. Samous batted the energy away and Silver barely dodged though he felt the heat of the explosion on his back. Hunter aimed another shot, but before he could blink Samous was right in front of him. Hunter gasped and instinctively moved to take a step back, but Samous seized him by his throat and lifted him off his feet. Blades swished out of the Tiger Gauntlet's mouth, but Samous's free hand grabbed hold of the gauntlet and held the arm immobile.

"I will crush you like the worm you are." Samous snarled.

Hunter struggled, but he was no match for Samous's strength. Darkness encroached at the corners of his vision. He could hear his heart thumping slower and slower, but everything else became muted.

"Psycho Force Rush!"

"Psycho Fury Blast!"

Suddenly Hunter could breathe again and he found himself being dragged. He hadn't even realized he was on the ground. With each new breath he became more and more aware of things. Then it dawned on him that two of his enemies had just saved his life. Could the day get any weirder? First the Psychos turn on Samous. Then Sebastien saves the life of the very Psycho that had been trying to kill him not even a week ago. Then that same Psycho saved Sebastien in return. But to have Crimson save his life was almost too much for Hunter to take in.

"Get up Hunter, now isn't the time for lying down." Hunter heard Blake tell him as he was being pulled to his feet.

That point was drive home as both Crimson and Blue were sent flying away from Samous by a now familiar shockwave of energy. Everyone else stood scattered around the battlefield. Psychos were mixed with Rangers and for the moment it seemed as if all animosity had been lost. Green was leaning against Cam as he tried to keep pressure off his twisted ankle. The two were talking in quiet tones, obviously trying to work out some plan of action. Tori was actually being supported by Psycho Teal, who didn't actually seem to look at all bothered by the ranger at his side. Everyone knew it was short lived and after the common enemy was gone they'd be at each other's throats again

"Haven't you fools figured out that you can't beat me!" Samous roared.

It's not true! We can beat him, there has to be a way! Niko called out to all the minds of those involved.

Like what? You guys are just as useless as ever. Silver retorted.

We'll never get anywhere by arguing. Zadan scolded.

I hate to agree with him, but he's right. Blue said. _We have to come up with a plan together, all of us have to work together._

Blue said. 

Thinking quickly Amias and Niko reached out with their psychic powers and linked the rest of the rangers into the conversation so that everyone on the battlefield could give their piece of advice. Samous seemed content letting them stew, seeing their silence as hesitation and fear. But supporting each other in the midst of battle was far different from agreeing to a course of action and the Rangers and Psychos were having a hard time with that.

I have an idea! Blue had to practically shout to be heard over the mental, verbal brawl going on between the men of both sides. _Yellow Ranger, when you stole my Gem you used some kind of power up. Can you do it again?_

Blue had to practically shout to be heard over the mental, verbal brawl going on between the men of both sides. 

Dustin frowned and frantically tried to remember what she was talking about. So much had happened so quickly. What was she talking about?

Me.

For a moment Dustin didn't recognize the voice in his mind. So many others were trying to talk, but this new voice cut through them all. Along with the voice came a comforting presence and the sudden realization of who was talking to him.

Lion!

Yes little cub, I'm here just as always. Lion replied. _Are you ready for me? _

You bet. Let's cream this chump. Dustin exclaimed, and then opened his mind back to the connection Niko had made and spoke to his teammates. _Guys, open yourselves to your spirit animals!_

Lion replied. Dustin exclaimed, and then opened his mind back to the connection Niko had made and spoke to his teammates. 

Hunter frowned at Dustin's words and glanced up at Samous. Could a little boost from their spirit animals really be enough? Could he even make the same kind of connection as Dustin? Hunter had never tried even though he had finally accepted his spirit animal. Suddenly as if sensing his doubt he felt the tiger within him surge forward and without a thought he opened himself to it. Power surged through him like hot fire and he felt completely rejuvenated. Around him he could sense his teammates doing the same and felt a surge of hope that maybe, just maybe it would be enough.

Let's try this again, shall we? Shane spoke up, feeling better than he had in weeks.

The three Wind Rangers charged first with the Thunder Rangers right behind and Sebastien behind them. Cam stayed back as he either didn't have an animal spirit or just hadn't managed to connect with it yet. Samous dodged the Wind Rangers and then clotheslined both Thunders to the ground before grabbing Sebastien by his throat. Sebastien snarled like some kind of wild animal used the claws his gloves had turned into to scratch deep lines into Samous's flesh. Samous roared and dropped the Ice Ranger and then stumbled as he was struck from behind. Samous spun and caught Dustin's Lion Hammer before he could be struck by it again and then yanked Dustin forward. Dustin knew what was coming and instead released his weapon and ducked and rolled. Shane and Tori attacked Samous head on while Hunter and Blake attacked from behind. Samous used Dustin's Lion Hammer to bash Tori away, but Shane managed to catch the hammer and did a quick super spin that yanked the weapon out of the enemy's hands.

That seemed to be all Samous could take. With a roar of fury he released a massive shockwave that sent everyone flying away from him, sparking like mad. Samous snarled angrily, but came to a realization. The more he fought with them and the higher the stakes got the more power he tapped into. It didn't matter how powerful they got because he just opened himself to more power from the Gem. They couldn't beat him. They couldn't tap into half the power he could.

Kardan shot a look at Harper and the two nodded at each other. They summoned their rocket launchers, took aim, and fired. Samous smacked Kardan's two rockets in the air. He then redirected Harper's rockets. Psychos and Rangers alike had to dive out of the way as the rockets exploded. Samous then sent two searing bolts of energy at the two Battle Rangers and sent them tumbling away.

Alright Psychos. It's time to reach down deep and find the power to beat this guy. Kyle said. _If the Rangers can't beat him, we have to._

Kyle said. 

Together all the Psychos charged, but Samous was done playing around. They were all within striking distance when pain suddenly lanced through them all. Their suits began to crackle and in an instant they were all on the ground screaming and writhing in agony. Samous was using his connection to the Gems to torture them. Niko and Zadan moved to attack Samous but the super powered madman pointed his palm at them and they were sent flying backwards.

Amias gulped as he suddenly found himself to be the only one standing. All he could do was watch as Samous tortured the Psycho Rangers while all his allies lay in pain. If all of them together couldn't do anything, what was he supposed to do? One lone Hyper Force Ranger was no match for Samous's kind of power.

Suddenly Sizvu transported in. The Black Battle Ranger took a moment to take in the devastation before he quickly ran to Amias's side. Amias noticed two devices that looked somewhat like morphers in Sizvu's hands. Before he could even question what they were Sizvu thrust one at him.

"It's an augmentor. It harnesses bits of the Gem's power to augment your ranger power." Sizvu said. "Only those not connected with the Morphing Grid can use it."

Amias took the device in his hand and stared at it for a brief moment before strapping it around the wrist without a morpher. He listened as Sizvu told him what to do and then followed his instructions. Upon pushing the green button on the device Amias felt as if the world exploded into tiny fragments of itself before the overwhelming sense of power pulled everything back together. He felt more powerful than ever and suddenly had the confidence to face Samous without fear.

Samous jerked around as he felt a Gem of Power become active. With a snarl he launched himself at the Red Hyper Force Ranger, but suddenly found himself flying backwards. He got to his feet just in time to defend himself from Amias, but his attacker almost moved too fast for him. He struggled for a moment and searched for an opening in Amias's pattern, but growled in frustration when he found none. All too suddenly the tide of the battle had changed.

Sizvu went to his teammates and checked on them briefly before he saw Dustin pulling himself to his feet. As the first Ranger to his feet, Dustin had just volunteered to take the other augmentor. Sizvu went to the Yellow Ranger quickly and explained everything. Dustin accepted without thought and moments latter there was another augmented ranger battling Samous.

Things took a drastic turn from there. Samous was the one taking the beating. Everywhere he moved one of the two augmented rangers was there to beat on him. He wasn't quick enough anymore. Where once he had seemed to move without taking a step, suddenly he was slow as molasses. Dustin and Amias were practically dancing circles around the enraged warrior and when Samous tried his now familiar shockwave, neither ranger was affected. The energy seemed to ripple off them as their suits flared white for a moment as if some kind of shield was around them.

"This isn't possible." Samous snarled.

"You should have realized by now that anything is possible." Dustin replied, though his tone was more deadly than any of his teammates had ever heard.

Samous roared with rage and suddenly energy crackled out of his body. Dustin managed to leap back, but Amias was struck on the chest by one bolt and was sent flying. As he watched Amias tumble to a stop, Dustin had a sudden epiphany. He knew how to defeat Samous, but it wasn't a way anyone would have originally considered. Putting all the facts together and everything he had seen during the fight it seemed like a logical solution. There had to be a limit to how much power Samous could absorb before his body and mind couldn't take anymore. The harder they pushed Samous the more power he tried to open himself up to.

"You're going down Samous." Dustin called.

"One little ranger isn't going to take me down no matter how much power you think you have!" Samous howled, his insanity becoming clearer.

Dustin was intimidated by the sheer power radiating in visible waves from Samous, but that wasn't going to stop him. He summoned his dual-sabers to himself and let the knowledge that he had absorbed from them lead him from there. As he crossed the blades he sent all the power he could through his connection into it and almost believed he could feel the blades vibrating. The dual-sabers began to glow softly at first, but the brightness increased until it was too bright to look at. Then, when he felt the blades couldn't handle anymore power he thrust them in Samous's direction.

To say the attack was impressive would have been an understatement. _Where has he been hiding this kind of power? _Hunter wondered. Then he remembered the device he had blearily seen Sizvu give to his friend. Not that it was unappreciated, but Hunter had to wonder if it was a good idea for Dustin to be harnessing so much power. It was too late to worry about it though; Dustin was already channeling the power outward toward Samous.

The effect was instantaneous. Samous absolutely howled with rage, the ripples of his own power being completely overwhelmed by Dustin's energy. Instinctively Samous tried to pull in more power to fight back, but as he pulled in larger amounts of power, Dustin just seemed to send more and more at him. It didn't matter how deep Samous delved into his own power, Dustin matched him move for move.

Suddenly the whole world exploded. Everyone who had been on their feet was knocked over. Hunter had lost track of how many times something like that had happened in the past month, but it was too many. He was almost used to blocking his eyes from the bright white, but it still hurt. When he felt the light had faded enough to look he was shocked by what he saw. Dustin was lying unmoving on the ground and apparently unconscious. Samous looked to be in much the same condition though he shamelessly hoped the insane man was dead.

It took a few minutes before anybody had the courage or strength to move. Hunter found the resolve to move first. He checked on Blake and when he was assured that his brother was okay he moved on to Cam, feeling a strange need to make sure the Samurai was okay. Once that was done he quickly made his way to Dustin with Shane right on his heels. Dustin was already starting to recover when they reached his side. Upon closer inspection they found the Yellow Ranger to be battered and bruised, but not seriously injured in any way.

Slowly the battlefield began to become more active. The Psychos began to pull themselves together while the Ranger did the same. Neither side really took notice of each other as everyone checked to make sure their teammates were okay. It slowly became obvious that other than the deceased Bronze, everyone was alive and no one was fatally wounded. The battle had actually gone better than anyone had expected, but then none of them had anticipated the Psycho Ranger teaming up with the Power Rangers to beat Samous.

Green leaned heavily on Teal as the two moved slowly and cautiously toward Samous. What they found was slightly unnerving. Samous seemed to be awake as his bright white eyes were open. Teal almost jumped backwards, but Green held him in place. It was then they both noticed that Samous wasn't blinking. In fact, the man was barely breathing. Green waved a hand over Samous's face and grinned when there was no reaction.

"It's over. The bastard is done for." Green announced.

The relief everybody felt was almost tangible. But it was short lived. With the common enemy out of the way both sides immediately became wary of one another. Gold, Silver, Teal, and Green all gathered themselves up and regrouped. They knew it would be the perfect time to strike the rangers as everyone was weak. The thought quickly passed. They were weakened also and wouldn't be able to accomplish much. In the end the four transported back to the ship, taking Samous with them.

Blue and Crimson hesitated in following. They stared at each other for a few minutes before cautiously moving to help Zadan and Niko get to their feet. No words were said and a slight tension hung over the air, but it was clear in their body language that something had changed in their feelings towards each other. A silent truce had been called, one that was lasting beyond the battle. For the moment they were no longer enemies.

It took a while for everyone to recover enough to actually realize they had won. They knew the war was far from over, but they had won the battle. For the moment, that was enough.


	32. Aftermath

Dustin sighed contently as he seated himself in one of the ship's nooks. The underwater view was perfect. It was tranquil and soothing and everything he needed to relax in the aftermath of the greatest battle he'd faced yet. Samous. Just the thought of the insane man sent a shiver down his spine. Samous could have killed them all and would have if Dustin hadn't figured out how to beat him. Dustin was still trying to accept the fact that he had saved the day and all the other rangers were treating him like some kind of hero. In his eyes he had only done what they would have in his place and that didn't make him anything special.

"Hey Dustin."

Dustin pulled himself out of his thoughts and turned his head and smiled at who it was. "Hey Hunter. How are you feeling?"

"Better." Hunter replied. Dustin was relieved to see the handprint that had been around Hunter's neck was gone. "I thought you would want to know that Amias and Harper are getting ready to leave."

"Already? I thought they were going to wait a few days."

Hunter shook his head. "No, apparently they're desperately needed where they're going. They're loading up one of the shuttles as we speak."

Dustin jumped up from where he had been lounging and followed Hunter through the halls to lift. They took the lift to the very top of the ship where the enormous launch bay was located. Neither of them was too surprised to see all the other rangers already gathered. Neither Harper nor Amias were within sight; Dustin assumed they were probably settling their things on board. Hunter wrapped his arm loosely around Dustin's shoulders as the two stopped beside their teammates. Moments later Amias thumped down the ramp of the shuttle followed closely by Harper.

"I can't believe you're leaving us." Kardan said as Harper approached.

Harper smiled slightly. "Oh don't try to hide it. You're going to be glad I won't be around to pull any pranks on you."

"The pranks I won't miss." Sizvu agreed softly.

"You'll be fine without me guys." Harper said. "You're a team, you don't need anyone else."

"Harper--."

"I'm not saying I'm not a part of the team too." The younger man quickly interrupted. "But you two trained together and fought together for a long time without me. You may want me around, but you don't need me."

"We probably need you more than you think." Kardan replied. He then reached out and pulled Harper into a bear hug. "Take care of yourself out there kid. The Misfits might welcome you in, but just remember that everyone will recognize what you are."

"I'm not scared. I've dealt with it my whole life."

Sizvu stepped up to take Kardan's place as the older man backed away. "You annoy the bloody hell out of me, but gods help me I'm going to miss you."

"I'll miss you too, you crotchety old buzzard." Harper replied with a smirk.

Sizvu cuffed the younger boy on the back of the head, but laughed softly with his teammates. All three then turned their attention to Niko and Amias, who seemed to be having a harder time parting ways.

"You can't go. We've only just be reunited." Niko said.

"Niko--."

"Kalix is still a threat. We still have to beat him somehow and you want to run away?" Niko continued, ignoring Amias's attempts to cut in

"I'm not running away." Amias bit out. He was starting to get annoyed.

"You are. Kalix is here and you're leaving...again."

Amias's face hardened at that. "That's not fair Niko; I had no control of what happened. And as far as running away from Kalix, there are more ways than one to fight Kalix." Amias paused and felt a little better when Niko didn't immediately speak. "The Misfits are doing what they can to help everyone affected by Kalix and they need more rangers."

"Okay, sorry to interrupt, but who are the Misfits?" Sebastien asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

"It's an…organization composed of rangers who have lost their team." Kardan explained. "They use guerilla warfare and other tactics to battle Kalix, though they've yet to do anything substantial."

"They don't have enough rangers." Amias said.

"That would be a good thing, right?" Shane commented. "I mean, if it's made up of rangers who have lost their teams then it's actually a good thing there are so few."

"Good point."

"Neither of you are Misfits. You still have at least one member of your team alive." Niko said. He fixed Amias with an angry glare. "And you're pretty willing to abandon your teammate."

"Niko, you've got Zadan. You've got Aurias and Terik now that they've come to their senses." Amias reasoned. His eyes softened and he gave his younger friend a pleading look. "Please understand Niko, it's not that I don't want to be around you, but...I'm being called there. I have to go and you need to understand that otherwise you're no friend at all."

"I don't understand and I don't know if I will." Niko replied sadly. He turned on his heel and headed out of the launch bay.

Zadan put a hand on Amias's shoulder. "Don't worry about him. I'll sort the kid out and have him contact you as soon as he realizes what an ass he just made of himself."

"Thanks Zadan." Amias said softly as his eyes followed Niko's back. He then shifted his gaze to glare right into Zadan's eyes. "Now, you better take care of him or you'll be sorry."

"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to him." Zadan replied.

"I don't expect you to keep him from getting hurt. The kid has no danger sense at all. But _you_ had better not hurt him." Amias warned. "Break his heart and I'll break your back."

Zadan smirked. "I'd like to see you try."

"Don't tempt me."

"Alright children that's enough." Harper spoke up. His face then screwed up and he looked over at Kardan and Sizvu. "Is this how you guys felt when Craggan and I fought?"

"No, I was always two steps away from strangling him and one step away from shoving a gag down your mouth." Sizvu replied.

"I worried about your safety." Kardan added. "Craggan's threats weren't jokes."

"I know." Harper murmured, his thoughts briefly going to his deceased partner. He shoved the thoughts away and forced himself to be positive. All of that was in the past and there was no need to worry about it.

Amias stepped over to stand in front of the three Wind Rangers, but his eyes were on Tori. He gave her a winning smile. "See, I told you not to give up hope. You might not have beaten Kalix yet, but Samous was a start."

"I never did thank you or Harper for keeping me sane during that time." Tori said. "So I'll thank you now."

Amias smiled and didn't resist as she pulled him into a hug. "Don't worry; this isn't the last you'll see of us. We'll be back when you least expect it."

A few more words were passed between those staying behind and the two leaving before Harper started to climb the ramp into the ship. Amias turned and followed suit, both stopping at the top. The two waved goodbye before turning and entering. The farewell party started to break up as the shuttle started to come to life. By the time the ship lifted off the ground only three still remained, one hiding so as not to be seen. Then with a burst of acceleration they flew through the shield keeping water out and were gone.

ZzZzZ

"You're leaving too?" Niko asked, eyes wide with shock as he stared at two of his ex-teammates.

"Well, I know that those four morons are going to release Kalix. They don't have the strength alone to hold off the entire empire that's going to come after them." Terik said. "And I personally won't work for that slimy snake anymore."

"This has all been quite an eye opening experience." Aurias continued. "I don't want to stay here and fight anymore."

"Me neither." Terik agreed. "Actually, I was thinking about keeping the promise I made Dariv."

Niko and Zadan shot each other pained looks at the mention of their fallen friend. Sure they had never been as close with Dariv as they were with Terik or Aurias, but he had still been somewhat of a big brother during training. In one way they were glad they hadn't seen his death since feeling it had been bad enough. But they also were disappointed in having not gotten the chance to say goodbye.

"That's a good idea Terik." Aurias said. Her eyes hardened as she thought about her plans. "I'm going to search out the Shadow Rogue and make him sorry he ever crossed my path."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Zadan asked. "He's said to be the most powerful ranger to ever go rogue."

"He is." Aurias confirmed. "No team of rangers has ever been able to stand up to him. He's wiped out whole planets. He kills any rangers that are protecting the planet and then decimates the population."

"He doesn't just conquer the planet like all the other wackos?" Niko asked.

"No, he kills everyone. Most of the time he leaves no one alive and anyone who survives is very lucky."

"And you want to go after this guy?"

"I have my reasons."

Niko and Zadan glanced at each other. They knew what her reasons were, but didn't feel it was their place to say anything. Instead they revealed their intentions of staying on Earth, though they didn't reveal why. No one needed to know what they suspected. If word somehow got around to the wrong villains then Earth would never be safe

"So you're both going to leave us to fight Kalix alone?" Niko said.

Aurias and Terik glanced at one another, before the elder of the two replied. "Look Niko, things aren't completely fixed between us. I'm still very angry at you for betraying the team, but I'm tired of fighting you and of fighting the rangers here. It's not who I am and not who I have to be."

"Glad to see you absorbed some of what Dariv was trying to teach you." Aurias said. Her eyes filled with pain at the thought of Dariv. When she spoke her voice was softer than usual. "You're not fighting Kalix alone Niko. You've got Zadan right beside you and all of those rangers as well. You don't need us right now, but when you do we'll be right here beside you."

"Promise?"

"Promise." Two firm voices replied.

"But before we go, there's something we have to do to make amends for what we've done." Terik said with a grin.

"We'll be back."

ZzZzZ

Kyle was sitting in Kalix's chair trying to think of what to do next. He had been doing so for two days and he still had not come up with anything. He was sure that they couldn't take command of the massive armada and army that Kalix had. If one of the Generals found out what was happening they would descend on the flagship and he and his teammates would be killed.

At the same time he didn't think it would be wise to release Kalix. The raptor was likely to be vengeful and he knew for sure he didn't want to be on the receiving end of Kalix's wrath. The only other choice left to them was to leave, but there was no place in the known universe that they could go where they would be safe from Kalix's ire. No matter what he decided for his ragged team they would all suffer greatly.

"Evil does not have to be your path."

Kyle groaned and had the urge to cover his ears. For the past two days he had listened to the Wind Rangers' Sensei lecture him. He was beginning to feel like keeping the little rodent wasn't worth the headache.

"I remember you, Kyle Taylor."

"I'm sure you do, Sensei." Kyle sneered. "I bet you don't forget any of your students."

"Especially not the ones I lose." Sensei said, watching Kyle carefully to judge his reaction.

"You didn't lose me." Kyle said with a grin. "I chose to go with Kalix for the power he offered."

"You did not." Sensei replied adamantly. "You were taken against your will."

"You're dreaming, _Sensei._" Kyle sneered the last word, causing it to lose any semblance of respect. "Did you ever think that maybe you didn't know some of your students as well as you thought?"

"I knew you better than you remember."

Kyle opened his mouth to say something biting in return when two people transported into the room. Instantly he was on his feet. "You!" He would have morphed, but a crimson bolt to his chest knocked him back into the chair where he slumped over unconscious.

The two intruders grabbed what they were there for and transported away before Kyle could wake up and sound an alarm.

ZzZzZ

"Sensei!"

"Father!"

Terik and Aurais stood back and watched the happy reunion of Sensei Watanabe and his students and son. It felt good to have actually caused some joy in their lives rather than always causing pain. Without a word to those they had considered their enemy the two forgotten Psycho Rangers transported away.

Cam really wanted to give his father a bear hug, but settled on an awkward, but gentle one instead. He had never felt as good as he had the moment the Terik and Aurias had shown up with his father. The world seemed right again.

Shortly thereafter Sensei Watanabe requested that all rangers meet to discuss what had happened. It had taken several hours to accurately retell the events that had happened on their end since his capture. Likewise it took him quite a while to tell everything that he had overheard on Kalix's ship. As he listened to the description of the final battle with Samous, Sensei Watanabe had never felt more proud of his rangers. They had stood up to a terrifying enemy with no apparent chance of winning and had beaten the odds and persevered.

"I am proud of you rangers. You have faced a great evil, stared it straight in the eyes, and did not back down. You should all be proud of yourselves for what you have accomplished." Sensei said. "But I fear that the worst is yet to come. Kalix must still be defeated and I fear I sense a much greater evil about to waken. This is not a time for celebration as it would be premature. More trials and hardships will be faced, but I have faith in you all to overcome whatever is sent your way."

"Wow, he's good." Niko murmured to Zadan. His yellow clad friend simply elbowed him in the ribs.

"But do not fear, for you have proven to me and to yourselves that you may triumph. The enemy may outnumber us greatly and the evil be the most powerful of all. You can win this war. You _must_ win this war. I have faith that you will as long as you just keep the hope alive." Sensei turned to regard his students with a soft smile. "Hope will see us through."

**The End!**

Yup, it's true. The first story has finally come to an end. It's funny. I never expected it to turn out this way. When it started I had wanted to do a story with evil Psycho Rangers through and through with no redeeming qualities. But very quickly I found the Psycho Rangers growing personalities and becoming more human than I had wanted them to be. I never expected it to turn out as long as it has and the last thing I expected was to write another story let alone a trilogy. I'm pleased with it though. I think it went far beyond my expectations and really opened the door to a whole new universe full of good and evil.

Gonna take a brief moment to thank everyone who has reviewed over the course of the story: Khion-Guardian of Ice, MzDany, Jorgitosbabe, CamFan4Ever, prettygirl, the real vampire, SC, LittleWing, AngelMouse5, garnetred, dancer1, footychick, NinjaStorm4Life, boredlikecrazy, lightning-boltz, Psycho Tangerine, sky's girl forever, ThePotterWay, and Weesta.

A special thanks goes to my beta-reader Weesta. You've given the best feedback I've ever gotten and it's helped me more than you know. I hope you're ready for more because this is hardly over with.

_The Next Story..._Get ready for more new faces including new enemies and new allies. Look for And Darkness Falls coming to a Power Ranger's catergory near you.


End file.
